Andrew Garfield Admits He Once Thought Sam Altman Was ‘Great’ Before Playing Him in ‘Artificial’
Few films this year have generated as much intrigue as Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Artificial’. Written by Simon Rich, the drama chronicles the 5-day corporate saga in November 2023 when Sam Altman was abruptly fired as OpenAI’s CEO before ultimately returning to the company.
The movie’s road to the screen has been eventful. Amazon decided not to release the film after Netflix, A24 and Focus reportedly passed, before Neon stepped in to rescue it, and it is now set to open in theaters on December 25.
On Monday night, ‘Artificial’ finally had its world premiere at the New York Film Festival, and star Andrew Garfield opened up about his complicated view of the man he plays. Garfield revealed that he was initially charmed by Altman, recalling that when he first saw him testify before Congress, he thought Altman seemed honest, transparent, and incredibly charismatic.
Garfield didn’t hold back when describing that first impression. “I remember seeing Sam testifying to Congress for the first time, way back when. I was like, ‘This guy seems f—ing great,'” Garfield said at the premiere, according to Variety, before adding that you then learn more about a person.
He explained that at the time, Altman was talking about regulation and appeared to have no stake in OpenAI. Garfield said he thought the world needed more people like that in control. His view evolved during preparation. Garfield spent 2 to 3 months watching and listening to footage of Altman, and said he felt a moral responsibility to take part in a film like ‘Artificial’.
The actor said it’s important to scrutinize the people society is giving so much autonomy and power to. During filming, he recalled, there seemed to be news stories every day about the dangers of AI. Still, Garfield expressed empathy for his real-life counterpart. He said he felt tremendous compassion for what it might feel like for Altman to watch the film and feel that it isn’t him.
First poster for Luca Guadagnino’s ‘ARTIFICIAL’, starring Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman. The film follows the story of when OpenAI fired and rehired their CEO Sam Altman within 1 week. https://t.co/ZmFcjxJZCZ
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 5, 2026
In an August interview with Esquire U.K., Garfield stressed that he has never met Altman. He said he relied on the script, court transcripts, interviews and research, while drawing on Carl Jung’s idea of the shadow self to find parts of Altman within himself.
Garfield was joined at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall by Guadagnino, Rich and several co-stars. Yura Borisov plays OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, Ike Barinholtz plays Elon Musk, and Cooper Hoffman plays OpenAI president Greg Brockman.
The cast also includes Monica Barbaro, Jason Schwartzman, Billie Lourd, Zosia Mamet, Chris O’Dowd and Mark Rylance. Guadagnino has said that no AI was used in making the film.
New look at Luca Guadagnino’s ‘ARTIFICIAL.’ (Source: https://t.co/o8BvqRYWMj) https://t.co/kpp0OujNGk
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) October 5, 2026
Altman has now addressed the movie himself. In a Vanity Fair cover story, he said he has seen the trailer and noticed that Garfield walks like him, recalling that he once came across the production filming near his home.
He described the moment as feeling like a strange glitch in a simulation. The 2 men waved at each other, which Altman said is the only interaction they have ever had. First reactions out of NYFF have been striking, with some calling the film provocative and even Guadagnino’s best in a decade. Deadline’s review called Garfield’s performance chilling.
Luca Guadagnino’s ARTIFICIAL. It’s coming. Starring Andrew Garfield, Yura Borisov, Monica Barbaro, Ike Barinholtz, Cooper Hoffman, Jason Schwartzman, and Mark Rylance. In select theaters Christmas Day. https://t.co/M12NC7XU1F
— NEON (@neonrated) September 8, 2026
For Garfield, the role also closes a chapter that began with ‘The Social Network’, in which he played Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin. With ‘Artificial’ arriving on Christmas Day, audiences will soon decide for themselves how the film portrays one of tech’s most powerful figures.
Are you excited to see Andrew Garfield play Sam Altman in ‘Artificial’?
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