Andrew Garfield says he never saw or interacted with Sam Altman while filming “Artificial,” despite the OpenAI CEO’s account that the two waved to each other near his home.
Asked about Altman’s story in a GQ interview, Garfield said he had watched Altman discuss the encounter but remained confused by it. The actor said he had never seen Altman in person and was not at the location during the alleged wave. Garfield added that he had no body double who could have been mistaken for him.
Garfield said the production filmed outside Altman’s house on a day when the crew had been told Altman was not home. He recalled seeing a security guard, but said he never saw Altman and had never waved to him. He suggested Altman may have mistaken someone else for him.
An OpenAI representative told GQ that Altman was home during filming and reiterated that he waved at Garfield. Altman previously told Vanity Fair that he saw a man dressed like him, carrying the same backpack, while walking to get coffee near his home. He said the encounter felt strange, that they waved, and that was the extent of it.
Directed by Luca Guadagnino, “Artificial” is set during the period in 2023 when Altman was fired from OpenAI and later rehired. The film is scheduled to open in theaters on Christmas Day from Neon. Its cast also includes Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk, Monica Barbaro as Mira Murati, Yura Borisov as Ilya Sutskever and Mark Rylance as Geoffrey Hinton.
Sources: Variety.