Andrew Garfield admitted he was initially charmed by Sam Altman before he took on the role of the OpenAI CEO in director Luca Guadagnino's new film «Artificial.» Speaking at the movie's world premiere Monday night at the New York Film Festival, Garfield recalled watching Altman testify before Congress for the first time years ago and coming away impressed.
«I remember seeing Sam testifying to Congress for the first time, way back when,» Garfield said. «He seemed like a f—ing great guy.» But the actor added that his view shifted as he learned more about the man he was preparing to portray. «And then you learn more about a person,» he said, suggesting that deeper knowledge complicated his initial positive impression.
Garfield said he prepared «day in and day out» for months to play Altman, listening to and watching footage of the OpenAI co-founder and CEO in an effort to find his own version of the character. Where he landed was not complimentary. The actor described Altman as calculating, manipulative and nihilistic, a characterization that aligns with the film's critical reception.
«Artificial,» produced under Amazon MGM Studios, explores the origin of OpenAI and its key figures, including Altman and co-founder Ilya Sutskever. The film arrived at the New York Film Festival with controversy already attached, having been shopped around after Amazon apparently reconsidered its involvement. A review of the film described Garfield's performance as «chilling» and said the OpenAI origin story «should make you very afraid.»
Garfield also spoke about the weight of playing a real person whose actions continue to shape the technology industry and, by extension, society. «There's such a heavy responsibility» in portraying someone whose decisions affect so many people, he said. The actor's comments reflect a broader tension at the heart of the film: the gap between a charismatic public persona and the more troubling reality that emerges under scrutiny.
The premiere marks a notable moment for Guadagnino, whose film dramatizes the rise of OpenAI and the personalities behind it. By centering on Altman and Sutskever, «Artificial» joins a growing wave of cultural works grappling with the rapid ascent of artificial intelligence and the leaders who have driven it. The film's reception at NYFF suggests it will fuel further debate about how these figures should be understood and remembered.
Garfield's portrayal has drawn particular attention for its unflattering edge. The actor's description of Altman as manipulative and nihilistic contrasts sharply with the early impression he formed from congressional testimony. That evolution — from admiration to critique — mirrors the film's own arc, which presents the OpenAI story as one that rewards skepticism rather than trust.
With its world premiere now complete, «Artificial» heads into a wider release carrying both critical praise for Garfield's performance and the controversy that has followed the project since its production. For audiences, the film offers a dramatized look at the people building the technology that increasingly shapes daily life, and at the questions of power, autonomy and data that Garfield said Altman and others are «sucking up.»