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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman broke his silence on the Luca Guadagnino film 'Artificial' depicting his 2023 ouster and rehiring, telling Vanity Fair he once waved at Andrew Garfield, who plays him, when filming happened outside his house.

What is a key fact in this story? (1)

**Sam Altman** said he waved at Andrew Garfield once after stumbling onto the 'Artificial' production outside his home, describing seeing a man dressed exactly like him with the same backpack walking down his street: 'I felt I was in some weird glitch of the simulation.'

What is a key fact in this story? (2)

**Altman** confirmed he and Garfield have never spoken, while Garfield told Esquire U.K. in August he deliberately avoided meeting Altman, instead drawing on 'the script and court transcripts and interviews and research.'

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Altman Waved at Garfield, Calls 'Artificial' Film Inaccurate — SkimNews

By Variety · Summarized & edited by Kapil Samant · 2026-10-05

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Sam Altman said he waved at Andrew Garfield once after stumbling onto the 'Artificial' production outside his home, describing seeing a man dressed exactly like him with the same backpack walking down his street: 'I felt I was in some weird glitch of the simulation.'
Altman confirmed he and Garfield have never spoken, while Garfield told Esquire U.K. in August he deliberately avoided meeting Altman, instead drawing on 'the script and court transcripts and interviews and research.'
Amazon MGM Studios dropped the film after Amazon's $50 billion investment in OpenAI, with Neon taking over distribution; the movie premieres Monday at the New York Film Festival.
Altman told Vanity Fair he did not speak to anyone at Amazon about the movie, including Jeff Bezos, and said 'I don't know of anyone else who did.'
Altman dismissed the film's accuracy, pointing to a trailer scene of him rushing into a bunker with firearms on the wall: 'There's no bunker with firearms on the wall. That's an example of inaccuracy, but I did look kind of cool.'
Director Luca Guadagnino told Vulture he isn't worried about backlash from Altman or other OpenAI figures depicted, saying 'people that have a lot of power should be very much aware that you must be responsible for the community.'

Why it matters: Altman's first public comments on 'Artificial' land as the film premieres at the New York Film Festival with a new distributor after Amazon — OpenAI's $50 billion partner — dropped it, putting a spotlight on how Hollywood portrays tech leaders even as those leaders' companies become central to the industry's future. Garfield's choice to never meet Altman signals the production prioritized narrative over collaboration, which Guadagnino is now publicly defending.