Tom Hanks defends use of AI tech used to de-age him in new film
Actor praised how the technology was able to do six months of work ‘in a nanosecond’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Tom Hanks has defended the controversial use of AI to de-age him in his forthcoming film, Here.
The new movie sees Hanks and Robin Wright reunite with Forrest Gump director Robert Zemeckis, as well as screenwriter Eric Roth.
Thanks to the use of digital de-ageing technology, Hanks and Wright appear several decades younger in parts of the film, which is based on Richard McGuire’s 2014 graphic novel of the same name, and takes place entirely in one living room over 100 years.
The decision to use AI has received backlash from Hollywood stars including Friends actor Lisa Kudrow, who asked “What work will there be for human beings?” as she shared concerns about the risk of “licensing and recycling”.
Hanks, 68, appeared to defend the creative choice, as he praised the tech for doing the work of half a year “in a nanosecond”.
“We knew that this supercomputer was going to do all the work of six months of postproduction in a nanosecond,” he told Radio Times. “So we shot the scenes at Pinewood and we could look at them immediately.”
Wright added: “It’s happening already. People are using AI without consent and creating actors saying things they never said. So this isn’t new. That’s the scary part.”
However, the Cast Away actor admitted it was harder to make sure that his body language and acting performance were in line with his digital age.
“It’s amazing how both of us became very technical right off the bat,” he explained. “I need to have better posture; you have to get off the couch a little bit faster than you did; we both have eyes that know too much. We had to figure out a way to remove that jaded-life quality!”
Zemeckis has addressed concerns over his use of AI technology in the film, claiming the visual effects only exist to support the story.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
“I’ve always thought that our job as filmmakers is to show the audience things that they don’t see in real life,” he said. “It only works because the performances are so good.
“Both Tom and Robin understood instantly that, ‘OK, we have to go back and channel what we were like 50 years ago or 40 years ago, and we have to bring that energy, that kind of posture, and even raise our voices higher. That kind of thing.”
Over the past decade, AI has found several uses in the movie and television industry, from de-aging actors to analysing patterns and behaviours of viewers on streaming platforms, to bringing back the voices of late actors and even helping stitch together entire movie trailers.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments