FriendsstarLisa Kudrowdidn’t mince words when talking about Tom Hanks and Robin Wright’s latest movie,Here. Directed by Robert Zemeckis,Hereis shot from a single vantage point where the camera doesn’t move and sees the events of a single spot of land and its inhabitants unfold over centuries. The movie was a reunion between Zemeckis, Hanks, and Wright following their collaboration on 1994’s Academy Award-winning and box office smash hitForrest Gump, butHerewas not that same hit as it received largely negative reviews and was a box office flop.
One of the film’s controversial decisions, to de-age Hanks and Wright in camera using AI-assisted tools, has come under fire by Kudrow. Appearing on theArmchair Expertpodcast viaVariety, Kudrow slammed the use of the technology inHere, calling it an"endorsement of AI.“She criticized the decision as it not only takes away the opportunity for actors to play younger versions of these characters, but also the other jobs this tool takes away from people on set, which would include makeup artists who traditionally would help de-age an actor or a visual effects artist. Kudrow commented on how the AI tool took away from the human element on set. Kudrow said:
“They shot it, and they could actually shoot the scene and then look at the playback of them as younger, and it’s ready for them to see. All I got from that was, this is an endorsement for AI. It’s not like, ‘Oh it’s going to ruin everything,’ but what will be left? Forget actors, what about up-and-coming actors? They’ll just be licensing and recycling. Set that completely aside, what work will there be for human beings? Then what? There’ll be some kind of living stipend for people, you won’t have to work? How can it possibly be enough?”
Hereopened in theaters on August 21, 2025,quickly becoming a box office and critical disappointment. It sits at 35% Rotten rating onRotten Tomatoesbased on 131 reviews and opened in fifth place at the box office with $4.9 million. It fell out of the top ten within two weeks and has grossed $13 million worldwide against a budget of $40 million. However, the movie is one of many films submitted for the Best Visual Effects category at the Academy Awards, one that, if it were to get nominated or even win, would be a major turning point for the AI-assisted tool, one which could have negative repercussions on the entertainment industry moving forward.
Hollywood’s Continued Use of AI is Becoming a Concern
Kudrow’s concerns are certainly warranted. At a time when it appears that Hollywood Studios are so desperate to cling to the past and resurrect dead actors as part of big franchises, likeIan Holm inAlien: Romulusor Christopher Reeve inThe Flash, it certainly does seem like the idea of using technology to de-age or digital necromance deceased actors using AI-assisted tools is more appealing to studios than recasting the role with new actors. What’s worse is this is something that general audiences seem to be okay with also, and seen with the positive reaction to the digitally de-aged Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker inThe Mandalorianas opposed to hiring a new actor to play the role. Despite both the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes of 2023 protesting the use of AI, the studios are seemingly still embracing the technology.
How Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis' Here Connects to Forrest Gump
It’s easy to assume that Robert Zemeckis' Here starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright might connect to Forrest Gump.
Here’s use of AI technology is frightening, but also not at all shocking considering Robert Zemeckis’s career. The director has been fascinated by using film to push technology forward, from the groundbreaking work of blending animated characters with live-action elements inWho Framed Roger Rabbitto the Academy Award-winning VFX ofForrest Gump, which inserted Tom Hanks into historical footage alongside figures like Richard Nixon and John Lennon. Zemeckis spent nearly a decade invested in trying topioneer motion capture performance with fully animated filmslikeThe Polar Express,Beowulf, andA Christmas Carol, a style that audiences largely rejected. Even though the box office shows that nobody sawHere, it doesn’t mean the technology it helped pioneered won’t be influential. That might be its biggest lasting legacy, and a concerning one at that.
