Altman: I Had No Hand in Amazon Dropping 'Artificial'

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he had nothing to do with Amazon MGM's decision to drop "Artificial," the Luca Guadagnino-directed film about his life, telling Vanity Fair he "never spoke" to Jeff Bezos about the movie.

"I did not, and I don't know of anyone else who did," Altman said in an interview published Monday. "I never spoke to Jeff Bezos about it."

Written by Simon Rich, the creator of "Miracle Workers," "Artificial" stars Andrew Garfield as Altman and explores the period when he was famously fired and then rehired by OpenAI. Ike Barinholtz also stars as OpenAI co-founder and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Amazon MGM dropped the film from its release slate in June, prompting criticism given that the decision came just months after Amazon signed a $50 billion partnership deal with OpenAI in February. Altman denied playing any role.

Neon quickly picked up the film and plans a limited theatrical release on Christmas Day before expanding in January. The first trailer, which premiered in early September, offered a look at Garfield's portrayal.

Altman told Vanity Fair he got an in-person preview of Garfield's performance months earlier, after noticing someone who had "nailed" his mannerisms while filming near Altman's home.

"They filmed outside of our house. There were these notices on our street that there was going to be some filming or whatever. I didn't realize what was going on. I paid no attention," Altman said. "And then one morning I was walking down the street to get coffee and there were all these cameras and there was a guy dressed exactly like me with my same backpack walking so much that I felt I was in some weird glitch of the simulation or something."

"It was very strange. And then I immediately figured out what was happening. We waved and went on, but it was really weird. I mean, it's like a strange thing to see someone that has nailed your kind of quirky mannerisms or whatever," he continued, noting he waved once at Garfield.

Despite praising Garfield's walk and mannerisms, Altman said he does not expect the film to offer an "accurate depiction" of his life. He specifically pushed back on a trailer moment showing Garfield's version of Altman walking into an underground bunker with guns on the walls.

"I don't think they're going for accuracy," Altman said. "They're trying to make a good movie and maybe it will be good. I don't know. Good as a movie. It will not be good as an accurate depiction. Except for the walk. That seemed good. I'm sure they'll get some other parts right, at least accidentally."

• Amazon MGM
• Andrew Garfield
• Artificial
• Luca Guadagnino
• OpenAI
• Sam Altman