Watch: Andrew Garfield Turns into Sam Altman As He Films For Artificial Outside Tech CEO's Real Life Home

Andrew Garfield transforms into Sam Altman for Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial, with viral video from the set showing him filming outside the OpenAI CEO’s real San Francisco home.

Written by Sakina Kaukawala , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Aug 02, 2025 | 03:22 PM IST | 404K

Andrew Garfield (via Getty Images)

Andrew Garfield has once again stepped into the tech world on-screen. This time, the actor is playing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in Artificial, a new comedic drama directed by Luca Guadagnino. Real-time clips from the movie set in San Francisco are going viral, showing Garfield in full “tech-bro” mode as he films outside Altman’s actual home.

Fans quickly picked up on his slow, calculated walk, hands tucked into his pockets, what many called the perfect Sam Altman impression. One Reddit user shared behind-the-scenes footage and captioned it, “Andrew Garfield nailed the Sam Altman walk!” Another said, “Got some shots of the OpenAI movie on Lombard,” confirming the shoot location.

Filming took place outside Sam Altman's real house

One of the biggest talking points? The fact that the movie scene was filmed right in front of Altman’s real-life residence. “What’s more interesting is they’re filming in front of his house…lol,” wrote one user. Someone else added, “I asked some crew if he knew about it and they basically said ‘he does now’ lol.”

TMZ and several X (formerly Twitter) users also posted the moment, which shows Andrew Garfield on the phone, dressed in grey slacks and a blazer, standing in front of the recognizable San Francisco property.

Here’s why fans are calling it a ‘Social Network pipeline’

Garfield’s role in Artificial instantly reminded fans of his performance as Eduardo Saverin in The Social Network. One X user joked, “The concept of Andrew Garfield playing you in a movie about your life so you know you and your company are about to be disgustingly successful. Social Network pipeline studied in film classes.”

Fans pointed out the similarities between the two films, both center on real-life tech figures, boardroom drama, and rapid shifts in power. Garfield’s dramatic line, “I’m coming back for everything,” from The Social Network, is now making the rounds again online.

What is ‘Artificial’ about?

Artificial is a comedic drama based on real events at OpenAI. It focuses on the 2023 chaos when Sam Altman was briefly fired and then reinstated. Monica Barbaro stars as Mira Murati, and Ike Barinholtz plays Elon Musk. Yura Borisov is cast as Ilya Sutskever.

The movie is being shot across San Francisco, including locations like Dolores Park, the Marina District, and a well-known Bay Area restaurant. Backed by Amazon MGM Studios, the film has a reported USD 40 million budget and is expected to release in 2026.

ALSO READ: Tom Holland Reacts to James Bond Casting Buzz as Villeneuve and Knight Join 007 Reboot