Andrew Garfield was passed over for the role of Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network, but The Amazing Spider-Man alum now finds himself stepping into the shoes of another tech giant. In Italian director Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming drama Artificial, Garfield stars as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in a story detailing Altman’s sudden firing and rehiring in late 2023.
However, Garfield himself put the script’s version of Altman in the same boat as televangelist Jim Bakker, a real-life figure he revealed he “couldn’t wait” to stop playing after filming 2021’s The Eyes of Tammy Faye. In a new profile with Esquire, Garfield opened up about how he processes complex real-world figures and why portraying the OpenAI CEO brought a unique sense of dread.
Andrew Garfield Explores Sam Altman’s Psychology in Artificial
Reflecting on how he played Sam Altman, Garfield stated, “I don’t know this person, to be clear. I don’t know Sam Altman. I’ve never met him.” He continued, “…but I think anyone who takes on that level of responsibility for a company or a technology that you know is going to do a hell of a lot of damage to the soul of humanity [must have] a certain ability to dissociate.”
Garfield’s preparation involves channeling core traits of a character from within his own psyche, a deep introspective process that often makes him confront uncomfortable aspects of himself.
Reflecting on the emotional toll of playing characters like the OpenAI CEO, Garfield admitted, “Ultimately I’m like, ‘Thank God that’s over.’ I felt that way with Sam and with Hank [from After the Hunt].”
Artificial was originally set for distribution by Amazon MGM Studios before the distributor opted to drop the project. Currently, the distribution rights are held by Neon, which plans to give the film a brief theatrical run in December 2026 to qualify for the Academy Awards before expanding to a wider release in early 2027.
This article was originally reported by Anuraag Chatterjee on ComingSoon.
