Andrew Garfield denies meeting Sam Altman during ‘Artificial’ filming despite CEO’s claims

OpenAI reportedly maintains Altman was home while the film crew shot outside his residence

Andrew Garfield has denied ever meeting Sam Altman while filming Artificial, contradicting the OpenAI CEO’s account of waving at the actor during production outside his home.

In a recent interview with GQ, Garfield addressed Altman’s earlier recollection of encountering someone portraying him on the street. The actor said he had watched the interview several times but remained confused by the claim.

“I never had any interaction with him,” Garfield said, adding that he had never seen Altman in real life. According to the actor, the production filmed outside the tech executive’s home on a day when they were told Altman was not present.

Garfield recalled seeing security personnel at the location but said he never encountered the OpenAI chief. He also denied having a body double during filming, suggesting Altman may have mistaken someone else for him.

However, an OpenAI representative told that Altman was home during the shoot and reiterated that he had waved at Garfield.

Altman previously described the experience in an interview with Vanity Fair. He recalled walking down his street for coffee when he noticed cameras and a man dressed exactly like him, carrying a similar backpack.

The encounter reportedly felt surreal to Altman, who said he eventually realised a film was being made about him. He claimed the pair waved before continuing on their way.

Artificial is directed by Luca Guadagnino and centres on the turbulent period in 2023 when Altman was dismissed from OpenAI before returning days later. The film stars Garfield as Altman, with Ike Barinholtz portraying Elon Musk, Monica Barbaro as Mira Murati, Yura Borisov as Ilya Sutskever and Mark Rylance as Geoffrey Hinton.

The film is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on Christmas Day through Neon.