Andrew Garfield initially thought Sam Altman was 'honest,' 'transparent'
What's the story
Andrew Garfield, who plays OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in the upcoming film Artificial, recently spoke about his initial impressions of Altman. Speaking at the film's premiere at the New York Film Festival, he said he initially found Altman "honest," "transparent," and "incredibly charming and charismatic." He added, "Then you learn more about a person."
Role preparation
Garfield felt moral obligation to take up the role
Garfield spent "two to three months" listening and watching footage of Altman to prepare for his role.
He felt a moral obligation to be part of a film like Artificial, especially as news about AI's potential dangers was constantly emerging during filming.
"We need to shine the light as bright as possible at the nooks and crannies of people we're giving all of our autonomy and power to," he said.
Film focus
More about 'Artificial'
Artificial, directed by Luca Guadagnino, explores the history of OpenAI and the controversial period when Altman was fired and later rehired.
The film also features Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk, Yura Borisov as OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, and Cooper Hoffman as OpenAI President Greg Brockman.
Monica Barbaro plays OpenAI's Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati.
Film reception
Altman believes 'Artificial' won't be an accurate depiction of him
Altman, who hasn't seen Artificial yet, told Vanity Fair he believes it "will not be...an accurate depiction."
Meanwhile, Borisov expressed his anxiety about how the real-life Sutskever and the public will react to the film.
Barinholtz, who plays Musk, said he wasn't worried about Musk's reaction.
Barinholtz quoted Guadagnino as saying, "It's not about what you feel about Elon. It's about finding what he loves about himself."
The film will be released in the US on December 25.