Andrew Garfield’s portrayal of OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman in Luca Guadagnino’s forthcoming film “Artificial” may offer a less-than-flattering depiction of the high-profile tech executive, but there was a distinct period in time when the Academy Award-nominated actor held a deep and genuine admiration for him.
Speaking during a candid Q&A session on Monday night following an AMPAS screening of the film at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles, Garfield opened up about the evolution of his perspective on Altman. The film itself chronicles the tumultuous founding of OpenAI, a company initially launched as a nonprofit before pivoting to massive commercial success with the viral ChatGPT application, alongside the dramatic boardroom saga involving Altman’s brief firing and rapid rehiring.
Reflecting on his initial impressions of the tech leader, Garfield recalled watching him navigate some of the most intense public scrutiny of his career. The first time the actor truly took notice of Altman was during his high-profile testimony before the United States Congress. To Garfield at the time, Altman’s rhetoric struck a chord of profound sincerity and public service.
“The first time I saw Sam, he was testifying in front of Congress and he was saying incredibly righteous stuff,” Garfield told the audience on Monday night. “He was talking about transparency; he was talking about the risks. He was very, very casually saying, ‘No, I don’t have any equity in OpenAI. I’m just doing this because I love the technology and I’m passionate and I actually care about human beings.’”
Beyond the policy arguments and the discussions surrounding artificial intelligence safety, Garfield found himself deeply moved by the cultural and personal context of Altman’s appearance. As an openly gay technology leader stepping into the spotlight, Altman was facing off against lawmakers who often held hostile views toward marginalized communities. For Garfield, this added an extra layer of personal bravery to the proceedings.
“I thought it was also just incredibly courageous for an out gay tech genius to be sat in front of Republican congressmen who probably don’t believe in his right to exist,” Garfield said. “So all of these things were adding up for me, and I was in such deep admiration of him. I was like, ‘Oh, we need more of these.’ And then he was meditating with Jack Kornfield, who’s this incredible Buddhist teacher. I’m like, ‘This guy might be like my future best friend.’ I was like, ‘He’s genuinely great and he seems to really have his values and priorities in the right place.’”
Despite the more critical angle taken by the Luca Guadagnino-directed project, Garfield stopped short of directly and harshly condemning Altman during the post-screening conversation. Instead, he acknowledged the complex reality of how public perception and subsequent events have unfolded around the artificial intelligence pioneer since those early congressional hearings.
“He convinced me that he was nothing but purely altruistic, which, I mean, it’s all playing out. I’m not gonna comment on those things,” Garfield noted, pointing to the ongoing debates surrounding the commercialization and safety of AI. “We all are seeing what’s happening and we can all have our own feelings and opinions of that.”
The broader implications of the artificial intelligence boom—and the speed at which powerful technologies are being developed and deployed without sufficient guardrails—remain a source of deep anxiety for the actor. Garfield emphasized that the current cultural and technological trajectory feels profoundly high-stakes, underscoring the urgent need for creative voices and powerful individuals to step into the regulatory conversation before humanity surrenders its autonomy.
“It’s terrifying,” Garfield admitted to the audience. “I feel like if enough artists and if enough people who have power can regulate, can be a part of a conversation of making sure that we aren’t just giving our future away, lose all of our autonomy, I think we’ll be maybe OK? I don’t know. I think that is about as hopeful as I can be.”
The production of “Artificial” itself has generated its fair share of real-world intrigue, particularly surrounding an anecdote that Altman recently shared regarding an encounter with Garfield while the film was actively shooting. In a recent profile interview for GQ’s Men of the Year coverage, Altman recounted a moment where he claimed the two men exchanged waves while the film crew was stationed directly in front of his San Francisco residence.
However, when asked about the claim during the press tour, Garfield firmly disputed the account, stating definitively that it never happened and that he was entirely unaware of any such interaction.
“No, I saw that interview and I replayed it a few times to try and discern what he was actually saying, because I was very confused by that. I never had any interaction with him,” Garfield said. “I’ve never seen him in real life. We were shooting outside of his house. It was an eerie day, for sure. We were told that he wasn’t home and his security people were there. I think I saw one security guard. But, no, I never saw Sam, so he maybe mistook someone else for me. I have no idea, but I’ve never waved at Sam. I’ve never seen him. I was curious about that.”
While Garfield chose not to proactively reach out to Altman in order to prepare for the complex biographical role, the actor admitted earlier this year that he would not necessarily be opposed to crossing paths with the tech executive in the real world. In a previous conversation with Variety back in July, Garfield noted that bridging the gap between Hollywood and Silicon Valley is not exactly a straightforward task given their vastly different spheres of influence and communication channels.
“I wouldn’t know how to. I don’t have his number. I don’t have his email,” Garfield said at the time. “लेकिन I’m sure that he’d be able to reach me if he wants to. I’d be very excited and curious to talk with him if he would ever want to do that.”
As “Artificial” continues to make its way through the awards and screening circuit, the convergence of Hollywood storytelling and the real-world titans shaping the future of artificial intelligence ensures that the conversation surrounding Garfield’s performance—and his complicated history of feelings toward Altman—will continue to captivate audiences and industry observers alike.
