Highlights
- Background actors from WandaVision were scanned by Disney to potentially use their likenesses in future projects, raising concerns about the use of AI to replace human actors.
- The studios' proposal in contract negotiations suggested that background performers could be scanned and their images owned by the company without consent or compensation.
- The use of CGI and technology to create computer-generated people in films and TV shows has been increasing, potentially leading to a future where physical actors are no longer needed. The unions are hoping to regulate this in their next contracts.
A WandaVision extra recently revealed that Disney scanned background actors to use their likenesses for future projects.
The WandaVision extra's story speaks to one of the issues at the heart of the actors' strike. After negotiations between the studios and the writers were unable to reach an agreement, the writers decided to go on strike on May 2nd. Similarly, the actors went on strike on July 14th when they couldn't achieve an understanding with the studios. Along with asking for higher pay and better streaming residuals, the biggest sticking point between the studios and the unions has been using AI to replace writers and actors. Disney had already faced backlash for using AI to create the intro for Secret Invasion.
Alexandria Rubalcaba, a background actor on the Disney Plus series WandaVision, spoke to NPR about how she and other background actors had their faces and bodies scanned, possibly to be used in future Disney projects. This was also a subplot to an episode of Bo Jack Horseman. Rubalcaba says that after 4 weeks of working on the project, the background actors were asked to report to a tractor-trailer where they stood in front of a metal rig with multiple cameras and were given commands such as, "Have your hands out. Have your hands in. Look this way. Look that way. Let us see your scared face. Let us see your surprised face."
This news comes after National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator of the Screen Actors Guild Duncan Crabtree-Ireland announced that one of the proposals by the studios in contract negotiations was that “background performers should be able to be scanned, get paid for one day's pay, and their company should own that scan, their image, their likeness and should be able to use it for the rest of eternity in any project they want with no consent and no compensation.” This means the studios could metaphorically bring actors back to life using CGI. This seems to be exactly what Disney has started implementing.
It should be noted that this isn’t new. With the increase in CGI and other technology, productions have been putting computer-generated people in scenes for a while now. This is primarily used for scenes that require a large crowd, like the soccer games in Ted Lasso, which used only 20 background actors.
However, if they already have hundreds of background actors on file, they won’t need to have any physical actors in the future. Many Hollywood stars started their careers as extras, such as Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who were extras in Field of Dreams. This could result in a domino effect, with supporting actors being replaced by scans of actors and then eventually lead actors. The Unions hope to have regulations in their next contracts to prevent this.
WandaVision is available on Disney Plus.
Source: NPR