Andrew Garfield on Playing Sam Altman: 'He Must Have a Certain Ability to Dissociate'

Andrew Garfield has opened up about the challenge of portraying OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in Luca Guadagnino's upcoming film Artificial, saying the role made him confront parts of himself he would rather distance himself from. The Amazing Spider-Man and The Social Network star also reflected on the challenge of bringing a living tech figure to the screen.

He's Never Met Sam Altman

Garfield made clear that his performance was not based on a personal relationship with Altman. 'I don't know this person, to be clear,' he said. 'I don't know Sam Altman. I've never met him.'

Instead, Garfield drew on the script, court transcripts, interviews, and other research to craft his portrayal of the OpenAI CEO. His preparation also shaped his view of the responsibility that comes with wielding powerful technology. '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,' he said.

The Role Made Him Look Inward

Garfield has previously described an acting process that requires him to find elements of each character within himself. With Altman, that meant confronting qualities he said he was afraid of being. 'There's something there for me to integrate, because I'm so afraid of being it,' he explained. He connected the process to Carl Jung's concept of the 'shadow self', which he described as the parts of ourselves that we disown.

Garfield then applied the idea to political figures, including Donald Trump and Nigel Farage, arguing that people should recognise uncomfortable traits in themselves rather than simply dismissing them as belonging to others.

'Thank God That's Over'

While Garfield found value in the experience, he admitted that playing figures like Altman isn't exactly enjoyable for him. 'Ultimately I'm like, "Thank God that's over,"' he said, adding that he felt similarly after playing Hank in Guadagnino's After the Hunt.

Garfield said he would rather be 'community-minded' and a good friend, describing himself simply as a 'cosy guy'.

A Five-Day Tech Power Struggle

Artificial centres on the dramatic leadership crisis at OpenAI in November 2023, when Altman was abruptly removed as CEO before being reinstated five days later. The cast includes Monica Barbaro as former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, Yura Borisov as former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, and Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk. Cooper Hoffman, Jason Schwartzman, Cooper Koch, and Mark Rylance, who plays AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton, are also part of the ensemble. Luca Guadagnino directs from a screenplay by former Saturday Night Live writer Simon Rich.

Amazon MGM Studios originally developed and financed the roughly $40M film but dropped it in June, months after Amazon announced a $50B investment and multiyear partnership with OpenAI. Amazon said Artificial 'would be better served if it were released by a different studio.' Neon subsequently acquired the film for worldwide theatrical distribution and is positioning it for the Oscar race, with an awards-qualifying run expected in late 2026 ahead of a wider 2027 release.

With Garfield taking on one of Silicon Valley's most recognisable figures, Artificial focuses less on a conventional biopic than on the corporate turmoil surrounding Altman's firing and reinstatement, while exploring the power struggles at the heart of OpenAI.