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Actor famous for playing Marvel superheroes and Ken dolls Sim Liu He plays an AI robot in Netflix’s new sci-fi thriller, Atlas, starring Jennifer Lopez.
Lopezwill play Atlas Shepard, a “brilliant but misanthropic data analyst” artificial intelligenceparticipated in the Harlan capture mission (Liu), a rebellious robot with a mysterious past that shares his heart. When his plan goes awry and he’s stranded on a hostile planet, Atlas must learn to trust his AI allies to save himself and humanity.
Liu, traditionally known for playing “good guy” roles, found it refreshing to play a robot villain who is described as the “first AI terrorist” in a fictional high-tech world.
“I think as an actor you always want to go places people don’t expect,” Liu told NextShark, “and I think that influenced my decision to play Harlan. I felt like he was a stark contrast to a lot of the other characters I’ve played.”
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The 35-year-old actor took inspiration from iconic AI characters such as Lieutenant Commander Data from “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and HAL 9000 from “2001: A Space Odyssey,” aiming to blend these influences with his own interpretation to create a character that would be “frightening” and “horrifying.” Hero This time around, Liu said he had more freedom and fewer constraints, which allowed him to truly enjoy the thrilling fight scenes.
The Hollywood star is no stranger to action scenes, but he admitted that playing a robot and battling giant mechs for the first time presented new challenges. He reunited with “Shang-Chi” stunt coordinator Mark Wickham, saying: Liu performed physically demanding stunts involving wirework and hydraulics.
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“I’m a very competitive person and I hate not being able to do something, so I always try to do my best,” Liu said, adding that he drew on his experience from previous action roles to aim to perform as many stunts as possible despite the inherent challenges.
Liu revealed that most of the film’s action scenes were done by Lopez, who filmed in the cockpit for about three weeks, and he was impressed with her professionalism and dedication, especially in her promotional efforts. Diversity He said Lopez had paired him with award-winning actor Sterling K. Brown “Atlas” He also produced the film.
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Reflecting on his character’s desire to destroy humanity for the greater good, Liu disagrees with Harlan’s logic from a soulless, nihilistic perspective. He stresses the need for caution in AI development and advocates for a human-centered approach to ensure ethical and empathetic progress in society.
“I can understand how a robot with no soul or empathy would come to the conclusion that humanity needs to be wiped out, but I don’t agree with that,” Liu said. “I’m an optimistic person. Despite all our flaws, we are essentially good people, and we all try to do good deeds and make the world a better place.”
Liu further expressed concern about the potential impact of AI on various aspects of life, especially on labor and the arts. While acknowledging that the advancement of AI is inevitable, Liu questioned the artistic value of AI-generated content, emphasizing the importance of human creativity and the stories behind artworks.
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“Who is painting the canvas and who is doing the brushstrokes is just as important as the brushstrokes themselves,” Liu said. “What was the artist trying to communicate? What story was there when they painted the picture or wrote the song? Even if AI can assemble or replicate something similar, can it really be called art? If there’s no soul in it? There’s no story. It’s just an amalgamation of what’s there.”
The actor doesn’t want AI to drive decision-making in both his creative and business endeavors. He doesn’t want hiring, firing, or filmmaking decisions to be made solely based on algorithmic data. Instead, Liu wants the industry to continue to let human passion and perspective drive decisions, noting that it’s important to keep humanity at the forefront as the world progresses with AI technology.
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“I don’t want to work in an industry where films are approved by data and algorithms,” he says. “I want films that are approved by passion.”
Brad Peyton’s “Atlas” is now streaming Netflix.
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