Andrew Garfield’s Sam Altman Is Already Getting Roasted Before ‘Artificial’ Even Hits Theaters – By Sam’s Brother
Andrew Garfield is playing one of the biggest names in the tech world, but his version of Sam Altman is already getting some interesting feedback from someone who knows the real person very well. The first trailer for Artificial has arrived, and while the movie is getting plenty of attention for its strange tone and impressive cast, Altman’s younger brother is not exactly convinced by Garfield’s performance.
Jack Altman, who works as a partner at venture capital firm Benchmark, reacted to the trailer after it was released. His response was pretty simple. He joked that he would love to watch a full movie making fun of his brother, but he wasn’t impressed by how closely Garfield captured the real Sam Altman. According to Jack, there was really only one thing the actor got right: the way his brother walks.
The comment quickly spread online, giving the trailer another reason to attract attention. Pirate Wires founder Mike Solana also reacted to Garfield’s performance and agreed that the walk was surprisingly close to the real Altman. The response has added another layer to a movie that was already likely to create plenty of discussion because it takes one of the biggest stories in the tech industry and turns it into a Hollywood drama.
Artificial comes from director Luca Guadagnino, who is taking on the strange story surrounding Altman’s sudden removal from OpenAI and his return just days later. Instead of covering his entire life and career, the movie focuses on the chaotic five-day period in 2023 when Altman was fired and then brought back as CEO.
Garfield plays Altman, while Yura Borisov takes on the role of former OpenAI Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever. The cast also includes Monica Barbaro, Ike Barinholtz, Cooper Hoffman, Jason Schwartzman and Mark Rylance. With that lineup, the movie is clearly aiming to be more than a simple tech drama.
The trailer gives viewers a strange first look at what Guadagnino has planned. It does not feel like a standard business movie filled with meetings and office arguments. Instead, the footage has a dark and almost unsettling atmosphere. At one point, Garfield’s Altman walks through what looks like an ordinary location before entering a room filled with guns and other weapons.
The trailer also includes a dramatic line from Garfield’s character about opening Pandora’s box together. That moment makes it clear that Artificial is going for a much bigger and darker idea about the rise of artificial intelligence and the people trying to control its future.
The movie was written by Simon Rich, the creator of Miracle Workers, and it appears to be taking plenty of creative freedom with real events. Garfield has also made it clear that audiences should not expect him to simply copy the real Altman. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor said he does not personally know Altman and described his performance as his own interpretation of the tech executive.
That could be important when the movie finally arrives. Artificial is based on real events, but it is still a dramatic film. Some scenes and characters will almost certainly be shaped for entertainment rather than presented as a perfect record of what happened.
The movie has also had an unusual journey behind the scenes. Amazon was originally involved with the project but later dropped it after the company made a major investment in OpenAI. Neon eventually picked up the movie, allowing the project to continue with Guadagnino and its high-profile cast.
Artificial is scheduled to premiere at the 2026 New York Film Festival on October 5. It will then open in limited theaters on Christmas Day before expanding to more theaters in January 2027.
For now, the trailer has already done its job by getting people talking. Jack Altman’s reaction has made the story even more interesting, especially because his joke suggests that Garfield’s performance may not be as accurate as some viewers expected. Whether the actor’s version of Altman works for audiences will become much clearer once the full movie arrives. Until then, the biggest question may be whether Garfield actually captures the real Sam Altman beyond that famous walk.
What are you most curious to see in Artificial?
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