Andrew Garfield addresses Amazon dropping his Sam Altman biopic: ‘I was and wasn’t surprised’
Andrew Garfield is opening up about Amazon MGM Studios’ decision to withdraw from his upcoming Sam Altman biopic, saying he had mixed feelings about the development.
During a July 29 interview with Variety to promote The Magic Faraway Tree, Garfield discussed Amazon’s decision to exit Artificial, the Luca Guadagnino-directed drama about Altman’s dismissal and return as OpenAI CEO in 2023. Garfield acknowledged the decision was somewhat unexpected but felt the film ultimately found its appropriate place.
“I was and I wasn’t [surprised]… I think there are certain things that fit certain places and don’t fit other places,” the Oscar-nominated actor told the outlet, adding that Amazon had been “nothing but supportive and nothing but encouraging” throughout production.
Garfield, who portrays Altman in the film, further said, “Luca has a really great relationship with [Amazon] and I’ve developed a lovely relationship with them as well. I’m grateful that they’ve helped the film to find the home that it was meant to find.”
Amazon MGM Studios withdrew from the nearly completed $40 million production, determining it would be better suited for release by another studio. This decision followed Amazon’s partnership with OpenAI, which involved a $50 billion investment, and occurred less than a year after Altman attended Jeff Bezos’ wedding.
After Amazon’s exit, Neon acquired Artificial and committed to an awards campaign to position the film for Oscar consideration this year. The ensemble cast features Monica Barbaro, Mark Rylance, Ike Barinholtz, Yura Borisov, Jason Schwartzman, Cooper Hoffman, Zosia Mamet, Cooper Koch, Chris O’Dowd and Billie Lourd.
Garfield described his approach to portraying the OpenAI executive, revealing that he never contacted Altman while preparing for the role. He said, “I wouldn’t know how to. I don’t have his number. I don’t have his email… But I’m sure that he’d be able to reach me if he wants to. I’d be very excited and curious to talk with him if he would ever want to do that.”
Instead, Garfield relied on extensive publicly available material about Altman. He explained, “There are lots of interviews. There’s lots of visuals and audio and reporting. I, of course, would have loved and still would love to meet Sam.”
Garfield emphasized that his performance is based on “a version of the character that was written in the script.” He added, “I think that while you want to be as truthful to that as you can, you’re never going to understand anyone ever fully ever anyway. We’re all so complicated and deeply layered, and I think that Mr. Altman is probably no exception.”