People often say one must first sell their soul to Hollywood in order to make it big in the industry. Although this is usually said jokingly, what would you think if I told you the future might hold something somewhat similar? I am talking about actors who might start selling their faces to companies. No, I am not referring to celebrities partnering up with large firms to become an ambassador, like Roger Federer for Rolex, or Millie Bobby Brown for Samsung.
Last week, the actor Bruce Willis, famous for his role in the Die Hard-movies and Pulp Fiction, was a hot topic. He had reportedly sold the rights to his face to a deepfake company called Deepcake (BBC, 2022). The actor stepped down from acting earlier this year, after being diagnosed with aphasia: a language disorder caused by brain damage which affects one’s speech and comprehension (Chadd et al., 2017). The company stated that Willis allowed them to create his digital twin and use their technology to upkeep his acting legacy in future movies and commercials. This has also been put to the test in a 2021 Russian commercial, which included a deepfake image of the actor. However, these statements turned out to be false: there has not been any partnership or agreement between the actor and the company (BBC, 2022). There is still a lot of unclarity regarding what has been said or done, but it does make you think.
Although deepfake technology, which refers to hyper-realistic videos that apply artificial intelligence (AI) to depict someone say and do things that never happened, is something people have mostly been afraid of (Westerlund, 2019). However, there is a lot of potential too. In the case of Bruce Willis, an actor who has a large fanbase, but is unable to continue acting due to health issues, this technology could allow for years of movies to come. Combining this with AI voice replacement, one can only imagine the possibilities. Actors who have stepped down, like Willis, or have passed away, like Alan Rickman, could be immortalised through these technologies.
However, is this something the world population is waiting for? I think it is a tricky situation. Although I am not fond of any actors in particular, it would be very interesting to see some legendary actors being brought back to life again. The older generation may relive their youth by seeing their childhood idols back on the silver screen, giving a sense of nostalgia. However, what if this technology ends up being used for actors who are perfectly fine, but just cannot make it to four separate movie sets at the same time? This would result in a higher number of movies and series coming out each year, which naturally keeps the public entertained, as well as higher revenues for the actors, filmmakers, and cinemas. However, I believe it would just not be the same. Actors gain a fanbase due to their style of acting, choice of movies, interviews, etc. Although the technology is able to mimic certain mannerisms, it would miss a sense of authenticity. I think actors would not gain as big of a following as they do now, as they might just be seen as money hungry. Nevertheless, I believe the relevance of deepfake technology in the entertainment industry will only become greater: be it for good, or bad.
References
BBC. (2022, October). Bruce Willis denies selling rights to his face. Retrieved from bbc:
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-63106024
Chadd, K., Caute, A., Marshall, J., Monnelly, K., & Woolf, C. (2017). Functional assessment & therapy for acquired writing impairment in aphrasia after stroke using mainstream technology. Cerebrovascular Diseases, 43(S1), 286.
Megafon+. (2021, September). Реклама МегаФон | МегаФон Плюс 4 подписки по цене 1 | Брюс Уиллис. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI_kf5GcHTA&ab_channel=%D0%A0%D0%B5%D0%BA%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B0TV
Westerlund, M. (2019). The emergence of deepfake technology: A review. Technology Innovation Management Review, 9(11).
To start with, I think it’s an interesting topic you’ve chosen. Technology changes super fast and I think it’s special that these kinds of things are possible. I agree that every actor has their own acting style that makes the character in the film unique and that that might be difficult to implement using AI. Still, it wouldn’t surprise me if the entire acting profession disappears because people are no longer needed to play the roles. If AI can also learn the unique playing style of the actors, a whole profession changes. Then maybe people are only needed to come up with the character traits of the character and no longer to actually play it. This might be a good solution for heavy roles. If you look at the actor who played the Joker in Spiderman at the time, he could eventually no longer step out of his role. Still, I think it’s a shame if there were no more real people in movies. Personally, I always have a lot of respect for the actors for their creativity and acting ability. What do you think?