Andrew Garfield discussed his approach to playing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in the upcoming film Artificial, directed by Luca Guadagnino. The Oscar-nominated actor revealed that initial attempts to use prosthetics to physically resemble Altman proved ineffective, with Guadagnino describing the experiment as “totally ridiculous.” Garfield found the failed effort amusing when recounting it at the film’s world premiere at the New York Film Festival.
To develop his portrayal, Garfield employed a classic acting technique rooted in Stanislavski methodology combined with interviews from people familiar with Altman. He explained that he sought conversations with individuals who had experiences or interactions with the tech executive to gain multiple perspectives on his character. Garfield described absorbing these various viewpoints before applying his own instincts and interpretation to the role, acknowledging that another actor would inevitably approach the character differently.
Other cast members took similarly thoughtful approaches to their roles. Yura Borisov, who plays OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, described hitting a creative wall before shooting began. Upon discovering he shared the same birthday as Sutskever, Borisov decided to imagine a spiritual connection as a foundation for developing his own character interpretation. Will Angus, portraying former OpenAI researcher and Anthropic co-founder Dario Amodei, noted that his subject was less prominent in public discourse during filming, allowing him to research the figure from initial stages.
Artificial explores the origins of OpenAI and the rise of artificial intelligence, featuring an ensemble cast that also includes Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk and Monica Barbaro as OpenAI CTO Mira Murati. The film was written by Saturday Night Live alum Simon Rich. After Amazon MGM Studios dropped the nearly completed project in June, Neon acquired the film and scheduled it for a Christmas Day release.
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