If you’re A) in business, B) chronically online, or C) Canadian, chances are you know who Kevin O’Leary is. He’s a businessperson and investor who you probably know from Dragons’ Den and Shark Tank.
And now he’s…an actor? Back in August, we learned he’d be starring in the upcoming film Marty Supreme alongside huge names like Timothée Chalamet and Gwyneth Paltrow — which will be his first major acting performance. At the time, he admitted he “didn’t take any acting lessons,” and just kind of…did it.
When that casting news came out, the internet was surprised, to say the least. Not only does Kevin have a reputation for being the bad cop on Shark Tank, but more importantly, lots of Canadians have a bone to pick with him after he supported the idea of Canada becoming America’s 51st state back in January. And the entire world should know how most Canadians feel about that by now.
So were most of us jumping for joy at the idea of Kevin O’Leary diving into acting — especially in the same movie as the king, Timothée Chalamet? Nope. But if you were already annoyed, get ready, because Kevin’s latest comment has the internet all riled up yet again (and for good reason, IMO).
On Oct. 16, Kevin appeared on World of Travel: The Podcast to discuss all things business, tech…and the new movie. So, combine all those concepts and what do you get? The very controversial topic of AI usage in movies.
“Almost every scene had as many as 150 extras,” Kevin explained, referring to Marty Supreme. “Now, those people have to stay awake for 18 hours, be completely dressed in the background. [They’re] not necessarily in the movie, but they’re necessary to be there, moving around. And yet, it costs millions of dollars to do that.”
And here comes the big idea. The grand suggestion. “Why couldn’t you simply put AI agents in their place? Because they’re not the main actors. They’re only in the story visually.”
“And save millions of dollars, so more movies could be made,” he continued. “That same director, instead of spending $90 million or whatever he spent, could’ve spent $35 million and made two movies if he was allowed to use… Now there’s an issue, right there.”
“I’d argue that for the sake of the art, you should allow it in certain cases. An extra is a really good use case, because you can’t tell the difference. You just put 100 Norwell Tillies in there, and you’re good.” (Tilly Norwood, in case you weren’t aware, is an AI actress. Yes, that’s a real thing. And I’m just as terrified as you.)
Although Kevin’s point might make sense from a business standpoint, the internet was not too happy with his comments — because this means taking real actors’ jobs away. The acting industry is hard enough to break into as it is, and a seemingly simple job as an extra could seriously help someone.
But I’m curious to know what you think. Are you pro-AI extras, and agree with Kevin’s point? Or do you think the idea is low-key giving Black Mirror? Tell me in the comments below! Let’s chat about it.