LOS ANGELES — For those fortunate enough to remain unspoiled about Warner Bros. Pictures new sci-fi psychological thriller, “Companion,” I implore you to savor the unexpected turns.
In striking a twist and turn balance, “Companion’s” writer and director Drew Hancock told Spectrum News it took a lot of mistakes, a lot of bad drafts, and rewrite after rewrite. For Hancock, the less people know going into the film, the better — though he said that could be unrealistic these days.
“Don’t watch the trailer, don’t watch the teaser. Don’t look at the poster, don’t look at the billboard. Just go in and say, ‘I want one ticket for ‘Companion,’’” he said.
In a fun and creative way, Hancock turned the film’s protagonist, Iris — who is played by Sophie Thatcher — into the heroine we all need.
For Thatcher, Iris is the “most human character” in the film.
“She has such an amazing journey and so much empathy and strength. She finds control over herself, and I think that is a really powerful thing, especially for women right now,” Thatcher told Spectrum News.
But as we have learned, technology in today’s world is fast evolving, something that Thatcher and co-star Jack Quaid were worried about when filming “Companion.” Filming had to be stopped for six months because of the Hollywood strikes.
“There was a time when I was like, oh by the time this movie comes out, will the subject matter be old hat? Will the world catch up? I was a little nervous about that just because of how fast everything is progressing,” Quaid told Spectrum News.
Without spoiling too much, in the film, companions are basically AI in human form, so when they come to be, would it be too desperate to order one?
Megan Suri says the film shines a light on the loneliness epidemic. “We can’t really fault people for wanting a connection.”
“If I can fall in love with my dog, I can probably fall in love with a robot,” said Lukas Gage.
Harvey Guillen said one has to start with loving oneself and then be open to “robotic love,” and if you want to get a companion, then that is up to you.
In the real, fast-changing world, should we be concerned with AI? Hancock said it is important to realize it is technology and it is a tool. He added that rules and regulations need to be put in place, and if it is ever used for evil, it will likely be because of something a human did.
“We have a choice. We can use AI for good or use AI for bad. It is up to us how we are going to use it,” he said.
Concerning Iris’s fate, Hancock reassured Spectrum News there would be no robot uprising led by her. For him, Iris is on a farm tending to a garden and enjoying sunsets.
“That’s the future I would love for her. She just wants to have empowerment through being as human as she possibly can, and I don’t think there is any(thing) more human than just enjoying the sunset,” he said.
“Companion” is now playing in theaters. It stars Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Megan Suri, Lukas Gage and Harvey Guillen.
Click the arrow above to watch the full interview.
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