Andrew Garfield goes supporting, Yura Borisov goes lead for Artificial Oscars push
Andrew Garfield will campaign in supporting actor for Artificial, with Yura Borisov carrying the film's lead actor push.
The placements were reported by Variety on 5 October 2026. In awards campaigning, the distributor chooses where to enter each performer. Academy voters decide the actual nominations.
Garfield plays Sam Altman, the OpenAI chief executive, according to Variety. Borisov plays Ilya Sutskever, the OpenAI co-founder and former chief scientist. The film dramatises the leadership upheaval around Altman and OpenAI.
The rest of the campaign map is now clear. Mark Rylance, who plays AI researcher Geoffrey Hinton, will also run in supporting actor. Monica Barbaro, who plays former OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati, will run in supporting actress. Writer Simon Rich will enter in original screenplay.
Neon will campaign the film across best picture, director for Luca Guadagnino, and the acting categories, according to Variety. Best picture is the Academy's top prize. Director and the four acting races are voted separately.
Artificial is Guadagnino's film about Altman and OpenAI, as described by Deadline. Neon has acquired global rights to the film, Deadline reported on 8 September 2026. That means Neon controls its cinema release around the world.
The wider ensemble includes Ike Barinholtz, Cooper Hoffman and Jason Schwartzman, who were named in the cast by Neon in September.
What makes this stand out is the split. Garfield is the best-known name, yet he goes supporting. Borisov takes the lead slot. For fans, this means the ballot could list them in different races if both land nominations.
