Garfield’s Artificial premieres with early critical praise

Andrew Garfield and director Luca Guadagnino presented Artificial at its world premiere at the New York Film Festival on October 5, with early critics praising the film’s dark comedy and Garfield’s performance as OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman. The film dramatizes Altman’s firing and return to the company in 2023, placing a fictionalized account of the episode within a broader story about technology and power. At the premiere, Garfield said his first impression of Altman came from watching him testify before Congress. He recalled viewing Altman as honest, transparent and charismatic, and said his understanding changed as he learned more about him. Those remarks describe Garfield’s personal impressions and do not establish the accuracy of the film’s portrayal. Garfield said he spent two to three months listening to and watching footage of Altman as he prepared for the role. He described playing a living person as a responsibility, while saying the filmmakers also saw the project as an opportunity to examine who holds influence over people’s autonomy and data. The actor has previously portrayed real people, including Eduardo Saverin in The Social Network.