Andrew Garfield Admits Sam Altman Seemed F—ing Great Before He Played Him in ‘Artificial’

Playing a real person on screen means spending months living inside someone else’s public image, and sometimes that image cracks along the way. Andrew Garfield has done it before, portraying Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin in ‘The Social Network’ and composer Jonathan Larson in ‘Tick, Tick… Boom!’ His latest real-life role may be his most timely.

In Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Artificial,’ Garfield plays OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, in a story built around Altman’s controversial firing and rehiring in 2023. The film had its world premiere Monday at the New York Film Festival, and it arrives with plenty of off-screen drama attached.

At the premiere, Garfield opened up about how his own view of Altman has changed. Speaking at the event, as Variety reported, the actor recalled watching Altman’s first appearance before Congress and thinking he seemed “f—ing great,” calling him honest and transparent. He remembered noting that Altman talked about regulation and had no stake in OpenAI, and he described him as incredibly charming and charismatic before adding: “And then you learn more about a person.”

“I remember seeing Sam testifying to Congress for the first time, way back when. I was like, ‘This guy seems fucking great. He’s honest. He’s transparent. He’s talking about regulation, and he has no stake in OpenAI. We need more of these people in control. He’s incredibly charming and charismatic.’ And then you learn more about a person.”

Altman’s first Senate testimony took place in May 2023, when he told lawmakers that government intervention would be critical to mitigating the risks of increasingly powerful AI systems. That was the Altman Garfield remembered: a tech chief who seemed to be asking to be regulated. The actor’s comment captures how quickly public perception of a figure like that can shift once more information comes out.

Garfield said he spent two to three months listening to and watching footage of Altman while preparing for the role. He also described feeling a moral responsibility to take part in a movie like this, arguing that people who hold so much autonomy and power should have the light shined on their nooks and crannies.

He also expressed empathy for his real-life counterpart. Garfield said he felt tremendous compassion for what it must feel like to watch a portrayal and think “that’s not me,” adding that he imagined it would feel confronting and acknowledging that he was projecting.

Altman, for his part, appears unbothered. In an interview with Vanity Fair, he said he has not seen ‘Artificial,’ that the filmmakers are trying to make a good movie and it might turn out well, but that it won’t be good as an accurate depiction.

That tension between a film and its subject has followed ‘Artificial’ from the start. Amazon MGM Studios was originally set to release the film but dropped it days after Amazon signed a $50 billion deal with OpenAI. Neon then stepped in and acquired the global rights.

Guadagnino directs from a screenplay by humorist and ‘Saturday Night Live’ alum Simon Rich. The cast includes Yura Borisov as OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, Monica Barbaro as Mira Murati, and Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk. Jason Schwartzman, Mark Rylance, Cooper Hoffman, Chris O’Dowd, Billie Lourd and Zosia Mamet round out the ensemble.

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

The film reunites Garfield with Guadagnino after their collaboration on ‘After the Hunt,’ and features an original score by Blur and Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn. Neon has set a December 25 release date.

Early reactions have been strong. Deadline’s review called Garfield chilling in the role, while first reactions collected by The Hollywood Reporter described him as taking some massive and tricky swings with his portrayal. Whether audiences will come away sharing Garfield’s journey from admiration to unease remains to be seen.

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