Zazie Beetz Says ‘We Need to Rally the Troops’ Against AI: ‘Get People Mad About It and Do Something’
Zazie Beetz spoke out against the proliferation of AI at the Berlin Film Festival press conference for Gore Verbinski’s new film “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die,” which tackles the hot topic with humor.
The sci-fi adventure, premiering on Friday night as a Berlinale Special Gala, follows a self-proclaimed “man from the future” (Sam Rockwell) who recruits a group of people in an L.A. diner to help him save the world from artificial intelligence. Alongside Beetz and Rockwell, it stars a strong ensemble cast including Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Peña, Asim Chaudhry and Juno Temple — all of whom besides Temple were on hand at the press conference.
The cast was of course immediately asked about the threat of AI, with Beetz delivering a clear and honest takedown. “I just feel very, very strongly about AI and all of the damage I think that it is doing to the social fabric of our society and our interpersonal relationships,” the “Atlanta” and “Deadpool 2” star said. “I think that we need to rally the troops and get people mad about it and do something.”
Verbinski also had many thoughts on the matter, saying: “You don’t want to get me started on AI. How much time do you got? I mean, I think there’s so much to talk about. I mean, it’s coming. I’m in meetings all the time with, you know, heads of visual effects studios, actors — everybody’s talking about AI. And then outside of my world, you know, geopolitics… ‘If we don’t do that, the Chinese are gonna make it,’ It’s a crazy race, nobody’s gonna pause. I could go on and on and on. But I do think, fundamentally, I don’t want this thing to get in front of the creative process.”
But like in “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die,” the film’s press conference also contained plenty of laughter to balance out the more serious moments. During the photocall before the cast took their seats, Richardson got photographers and journalists cackling by performing high kicks and headstands in front of the cameras. The conference itself also contained several funny moments, including a not-so-pleasant memory from filming in Cape Town, South Africa.
After Beetz shared that the cast “trauma bonded” in Cape Town after being with each other 24/7, Chaudhry elaborated that they “also bonded through something else… because we were in Cape Town, we all got sick, you know.”
He continued, “So one of the names for the movie was ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Diarrhea,’ because we all had the big D.”
“It was passed around like an STD,” Verbinski added to enormous laughter in the room.
Richardson recalled having to wear a gown during filming while dealing with it. “Honestly, having food poisoning in the princess dress wasn’t great,” she said. “That’s a lot of layers.”
The sci-fi adventure, premiering on Friday night as a Berlinale Special Gala, follows a self-proclaimed “man from the future” (Sam Rockwell) who recruits a group of people in an L.A. diner to help him save the world from artificial intelligence. Alongside Beetz and Rockwell, it stars a strong ensemble cast including Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Peña, Asim Chaudhry and Juno Temple — all of whom besides Temple were on hand at the press conference.
The cast was of course immediately asked about the threat of AI, with Beetz delivering a clear and honest takedown. “I just feel very, very strongly about AI and all of the damage I think that it is doing to the social fabric of our society and our interpersonal relationships,” the “Atlanta” and “Deadpool 2” star said. “I think that we need to rally the troops and get people mad about it and do something.”
Verbinski also had many thoughts on the matter, saying: “You don’t want to get me started on AI. How much time do you got? I mean, I think there’s so much to talk about. I mean, it’s coming. I’m in meetings all the time with, you know, heads of visual effects studios, actors — everybody’s talking about AI. And then outside of my world, you know, geopolitics… ‘If we don’t do that, the Chinese are gonna make it,’ It’s a crazy race, nobody’s gonna pause. I could go on and on and on. But I do think, fundamentally, I don’t want this thing to get in front of the creative process.”
But like in “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die,” the film’s press conference also contained plenty of laughter to balance out the more serious moments. During the photocall before the cast took their seats, Richardson got photographers and journalists cackling by performing high kicks and headstands in front of the cameras. The conference itself also contained several funny moments, including a not-so-pleasant memory from filming in Cape Town, South Africa.
After Beetz shared that the cast “trauma bonded” in Cape Town after being with each other 24/7, Chaudhry elaborated that they “also bonded through something else… because we were in Cape Town, we all got sick, you know.”
He continued, “So one of the names for the movie was ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Diarrhea,’ because we all had the big D.”
“It was passed around like an STD,” Verbinski added to enormous laughter in the room.
Richardson recalled having to wear a gown during filming while dealing with it. “Honestly, having food poisoning in the princess dress wasn’t great,” she said. “That’s a lot of layers.”