Andrew Garfield denies meeting Sam Altman on 'Artificial' set
The actor says he was never in the same place as the OpenAI CEO during filming near Altman's home, contradicting Altman's account of a street wave.
By Gabriela Ivanov ·
Actor Andrew Garfield has stated that he never interacted with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman while filming the movie 'Artificial.' This assertion directly contradicts Altman's earlier claim that the two men waved at each other on a street near the tech executive's residence during the production's shoot.
In a recent interview with GQ, Garfield said he was confused by Altman's story. The actor said he replayed Altman's interview several times to understand the reference. 'I never had any interaction with him,' Garfield said. 'I've never seen him in real life.'
Garfield recalled that the crew filmed outside Altman's house on a day he described as eerie. The production was told the CEO was not home, though his security team was present. Garfield said he saw one security guard but did not see Altman. He suggested Altman may have mistaken another person for him and noted he did not use a body double, which could have caused confusion.
A representative for OpenAI told the magazine that Altman was home during the filming and reiterated that he waved at Garfield. Altman had previously described the encounter in a conversation with Vanity Fair.
Altman said he was walking down the street to get coffee when he noticed the film cameras. He saw a man dressed like him carrying the same backpack. 'I felt I was in some weird glitch of the simulation or something,' Altman said. He added that the two waved and continued on their way. Altman described the moment as strange because of how closely the actor mimicked his mannerisms.
'Artificial' is directed by Luca Guadagnino and is scheduled to open in theaters on Christmas Day. The film is distributed by Neon and depicts the period when Altman was fired and then rehired by OpenAI in 2023.
The cast includes Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk, Monica Barbaro as Mira Murati, Yura Borisov as Ilya Sutskever, and Mark Rylance as Geoffrey Hinton.
