Credit: Lan Bui

Lisa Kudrow criticises use of AI in new Tom Hanks movie, ‘Here’

Mon 16 December 2024 16:27, UK

Friends star Lisa Kudrow has condemned the new Tom Hanks movie Here, describing it as an endorsement of artificial intelligence.

The film, released in October, reunites Hanks with Forrest Gump director Robert Zemeckis and his co-star Rose Wright. As Here is set over multiple different time periods which are shown non-linearly in the movie, Zemeckis employed the use of de-ageing digital technology, Metaphysic Live, that allowed Hanks and Wright to play their characters at ages across the spectrum.

Traditionally, for films of this nature, younger actors would be played to portray the earlier versions of Hanks and Wright, but this was unnecessary for Here due to the pioneering use of technology.

The growing reliance on artificial intelligence in the movie industry was a key reason for the SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023, and Kudrow is fearful of the tools used to de-age characters in Here. During an appearance on the Armchair Expert podcast, Kudrow said: “All I got from [the film] was, this is an endorsement for AI and oh, my God. It’s not like, ‘Oh, it’s going to ruin everything’, but what will be left? Forget actors, what about up-and-coming actors? They’ll just be licensing and recycling.”

The Friends actor also highlighted how AI’s playback features allow the cast to immediately see the technology’s impact, noting, “They could actually shoot the scene, then look at the playback of them as younger, and it’s ready for them to see.”

Kudrow is worried about what the future holds if technology continues to advance, which could lead to many actors being out of work, stating, “Set that completely aside, what work will there be for human beings? Then what? There’ll be some kind of living stipend for people, (as) you won’t have to work? How can it possibly be enough?”

Tom Hanks’ defence of the use of AI in ‘Here’

While Hanks has not directly responded to Kudrow’s comments, he spoke with the New York Times in November to put forward a case for artificial intelligence in cinema, especially its use in Here. “This was not A.I. creating content out of whole cloth,” he told the publication. “This is just a tool for cinema — that’s all. No different than having better film stock or a more realistic rear-screen projection for somebody driving a car.”

As an ageing actor, Hanks explained that most roles that he finds appealing are out of reach to him, but he believes AI could change that, stating, “If it’s possible for me to play a younger person than I am — I read stuff all the time and I think, Oh, man, I’d kill to play this role, but I’m 68. I’d kill to play Iago, but I can’t because Iago’s in his 20s. I would do it in a heartbeat.”

Looking ahead to the future, Hanks also touched upon the possibility of AI using his image to allow him to star in movies after his death, adding, “They can go off and make movies starring me for the next 122 years if they want. Should they legally be allowed to? What happens to my estate? Listen, let’s figure out the language right now.”