Andrew Garfield plays Sam Altman in Artificial, Luca Guadagnino’s film about OpenAI’s founding and the upheaval that led to Altman’s firing and return. Garfield says he approached the role as a chance to scrutinize not only artificial intelligence, but also the people building it and the direction they may take society.
The actor drew on interviews, video footage and conversations with people who know Altman to develop the character. He paid particular attention to Altman’s walk, clothing and way of occupying a room. Garfield describes a shift in the footage he studied: Altman appeared more physically relaxed in his earlier years, then more restrained as he became a prominent technology leader.
Garfield’s performance brings his characteristic emotional intensity to a figure whose motives can be difficult to read. In the film, he says, Altman’s tears could suggest either genuine belief in superintelligence or a pursuit of power. That uncertainty, the article argues, gives the story a more unsettling tone than the status-focused legal drama of The Social Network, where Garfield played Facebook cofounder Eduardo Saverin.
Garfield said that losing the Zuckerberg role to Jesse Eisenberg left him curious about what it takes to succeed at that level. He connected the film’s themes to his own changing views on winning, humility and vulnerability, arguing that a culture focused on winning at all costs can lose sight of accountability and shared humanity.
He also reflected on the difficulty of separating fame from identity and on the importance of having trusted people with whom he can be honest. Garfield said he was drawn to the uncertainty surrounding AI’s future, particularly because, as he put it, the people leading its development do not know exactly where the technology will take them.
Sources: GQ.