Artificial, the upcoming movie from director Luca Guadagnino, has just added a Bridesmaids (2011) alum to its stacked cast. After Challengers (2024) and Queer (2024), Guadagnino’s sights are now set on a comedy-drama about OpenAI, the tech company behind ChatGPT.
The Amazon MGM film features an impressive lineup of actors, with Andrew Garfield now confirmed to be playing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Artificial is also set to feature performances by Monica Barbaro, Jason Schwartzman, Ike Barinholtz, Cooper Hoffman, and Yura Borisov.
THR now reports that actor Chris O’Dowd has joined the cast of Artificial. No details about O’Dowd’s character have been released just yet, but the film will mark the actor’s first movie role since 2022’s Slumberland. O’Dowd will be best known to many for playing Rhodes in Bridesmaids.
The report also notes that Artificial is currently in production and that it will focus on a particularly eventful time in OpenAI’s history, chronicling Altman’s firing and rehiring within the span of a few days.
What This Means For Artificial
Image via Netflix
Few official details have been released for Artificial at this point, but the cast is set to be one of the most impressive assembled for a recent Guadagnino project. The cast alone means the film is already looking like a likely awards contender after Challengers and Queer failed to make a splash at the Oscars.
Challengers has a glowing 88% Rotten Tomatoes score while Queer has a 77%.
O’Dowd’s casting fits with the film’s description as a comedic drama. The actor is mostly known for his work in comedy across TV and movies. He recently starred in the Apple TV+ show The Big Door Prize, for example, in addition to roles in Big Mouth, My Father’s Dragon (2022), The Starling (2021), and Get Shorty.
O’Dowd is no stranger to dramatic work, however, having also just recently starred in a dark and tragic episode of Black Mirror season 7. He also appeared in an episode of The Twilight Zone reboot, Molly’s Game (2017), and The Program (2015), the latter of which is a biographical sports drama.
It’s unclear how Artificial will land with audiences. Especially in Hollywood, there is a great deal of fear about AI and how it will impact the movie-making process. The cast and Guadagnino’s involvement, however, suggests the new film could make quite a splash.
Our Take On Chris O’Dowd’s Artificial Casting
Without knowing any details about O’Dowd’s role in Artificial, it’s hard to say how the actor will fare. His previous work, however, suggests he will be right at home in this type of project, especially if it can take advantage of his comedic and dramatic chops.
Challengers, especially, was a 2024 movie highlight, and Guadagnino remains a particularly exciting director working in Hollywood today, often choosing smaller and more character-driven stories. Artificial has the potential to be his biggest and most notable work yet, and O’Dowd’s casting only adds to the excitement surrounding the project.
