Sam Altman recalls seeing Andrew Garfield portray him during ‘Artificial’ shoot near his home

Altman says he has never met Garfield beyond their brief exchange during filming near his home

Sam Altman has recalled the surreal moment he encountered Andrew Garfield while the actor was filming Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial near his home.

In a new interview with Vanity Fair, the OpenAI CEO said he had never met Garfield, who portrays him in the film, but unexpectedly saw the actor while walking to get coffee. Altman said filming notices had appeared around his neighbourhood, although he initially paid little attention to them.

He later encountered a production crew and saw Garfield dressed like him, carrying a similar backpack and reproducing his mannerisms. Altman said the sight left him feeling as though he had entered “some weird glitch of the simulation”.

Altman said he and Garfield exchanged a wave before continuing on their way. He described the experience as particularly strange because Garfield appeared to have captured his distinctive movements. Altman has also seen the film’s trailer and said Garfield had managed to reproduce the way he walks.

Garfield previously said he had not met Altman to prepare for the role. Instead, the actor said he relied on the screenplay, court transcripts, interviews and other research while developing his portrayal.

Artificial dramatises the events surrounding Altman’s removal from OpenAI in November 2023 and his return five days later. Garfield stars as Altman alongside Yura Borisov, who plays OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever.

The film was originally backed by Amazon MGM Studios before the company dropped it following its major investment in OpenAI. Neon subsequently acquired the film and is handling its release.

Artificial is having its world premiere at the 64th NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL on October 5, with further festival screenings scheduled later in the month.

Altman has said he is not expecting the film to provide a completely accurate depiction of him. He specifically pointed to a trailer sequence showing his character in a bunker with firearms, saying that scene does not reflect reality.

Despite that criticism, Altman said Garfield appeared to have captured his walk accurately, making the brief real-life encounter especially unusual.