Original-Cin Q&A: Simulant Stars, Director Weigh AI Versus Humans
By Bonnie Laufer
Simulant is a new sci-fi offering from director April Mullen. Simu Liu, Robbie Amell, Jordana Brewster and Sam Worthington star in the thriller set in the near future, where Androids and Simulants walk among us.
Physically indistinguishable from humans, Simulants carry with them the memories and mannerisms of their human counterparts. Our Bonnie Laufer spoke with Mullen and stars Brewster and Amell about their thoughts on recreating loved ones after they have passed. Simulant opens April 7 across Canada.
ORIGINAL-CIN: April, what an interesting and thought-provoking concept. What was it that particularly connected you to the script and made you want to dive into the sci-fi genre?
APRIL MULLEN: Exactly what you said, it really gives you something to think about. When I read the script, I was so torn up. I had this tug-of-war feeling inside of me that was kind of relentlessly bothering me of who I was rooting for in the script. Should you root for the AI or for human beings? I'm a big advocate of everything that is organic and human and I want to protect humanity.
However, I found myself having compassion for the AI side of things throughout the script. Then in the end, so much happens that you don't expect, and it sort of leaves you with your own thoughts: why didn't you sort of root for these characters independently of one another? It just leaves a lot of questions, like what the future is going to look like. It's a lot closer to being far-fetched than when I originally read it six years ago. We're a lot closer into a world of simulation now than we ever were before.
O-C: Jordana, you play Faye, a woman whose husband dies, no secret it happens quite early in the film. She’s got options, because she has chosen to bring him back to life (so to speak) with his Simulant. What were you thinking when you initially read this? Is it something that you would even consider doing if you had this opportunity in the future?
JORDANA BREWSTER: I absolutely would, and I think that's what makes it so terrifying. I think most people probably wouldn't bring someone back if they were able to and then to have to live with those consequences. Does this person feel like the person who left them isn't the same as it's not the same? What are the repercussions of it? What I loved about the film was that the Sims are kind of more human.
I think this was what was so brilliant about April's direction, rather than the humans because the humans, my character, especially lost a little bit of her humanity with the choice she made. The Sims seem to have souls and that's sort of what we're playing with. It’s actually all so terrifying if you think about it.
O-C: Robbie, how difficult was it for you to wrap your mind playing an AI yet making him feel and act human?
ROBBIE AMELL: I was lucky to have an amazing director and amazing people to work with. My first conversation with April when I read the script was kind of like, ‘How real is this guy? Should he feel like a robot at times?’ It was nice to play with his transformation once he gets unlocked by Simu Liu’s character. It was fun to play with how much more human he becomes. Like Jordana said, it's interesting to see the dynamic between the actual humans and the AI and trying to find which one is more human. They kind of feel more free and more open, like they're enjoying what life should be about. Versus the humans who are just stuck on certain things or unable to expand their horizon.
Director April Mullen.
O-C: April, kudos to you for gathering this amazing cast but also convincing them to shoot in and around Toronto in the dead of winter.
AM: (Laughs) Trust me, I had to entice them even more because of snow.
O-C: There are a lot of outdoor scenes. You’ve got poor Sam Worthington freezing his butt off for most of the film. What ultimately challenged you, contending with the weather or adding the effects after?
AM: I absolutely love and embrace whatever happens on set because that's your job is to live with grace and keep the ship moving forward and stay positive and work with the elements. I always describe film as this moving beast, and you sort of ride the wave once it starts and it takes on its own organic path.
Like a human being whether there's hiccups, mistakes, happy accidents, you sort of embrace all of the elements, which usually has a lot to do with weather. Of course, this time the pandemic and COVID got in our way, so you just have to gather it all up and make magic out of whatever ingredients end up on the table that day and it's a blessing.
I think the weather and the skies and the rain in the middle of winter with the snow I ended up adding a lot to what simulate was trying to convey, a sort of the desolate world and kind of neutral future might look like.
O-C: Jordana, what was it like for you working with Robbie on this level, because you have to be distant from him for most of the film and he’s such a likable guy in real life?
JB: Yeah, that was the hard part (laughs)! One of the scenes that was improvised and that I really loved was the scene in the greenhouse where we're smoking and we're a little bit looser with each other. There's a warmth to that scene that was so yummy. I was so excited watching it, because that's where you really saw the humanity and we got to play and I think it was so difficult because with Robbie, it's very easy to act opposite him and he's so wonderful, and he's so good. I think that was in the script, the awkwardness, the fact that things were just not clicking.
I just kept resisting this person who was there and open and that's what's so heartbreaking is part of me was kind of like, ‘Gosh, why doesn't she just try? You did this, you had his Sim created and now deal with the consequences.’ But she just can't. It was a really interesting thing to play with, but that awkwardness was really uncomfortable for me.
O-C: You have a lot of swimming scenes. Are you a good swimmer?
JB: No, I'm not.
AM: Jordana was so brave and did all of her swimming on her own. We had a stunt person on standby, but she did everything herself. I was very impressed. I won't say at what because it'll give away so much more of the film that I don't want to, but she turned out to be an incredible swimmer.
JB: Truthfully, I even surprised myself!
O-C: Robbie after having done this film and even your TV series Upload where people get to an amazing afterlife, thinking about it, these themes really make you think about cloning and wanting to bring back a loved one. What’s your take on that?
RA: I think that's one of the things that makes this story so relatable is like Jordana said, if I lost my person, I would do it, I would totally try this and it would probably be a mistake but why not try? You know it’s not ‘that’ person, you make a clone of it knowing that it's not that person and it’s really just a version two, and as amazing as that would be it would also be terrifying and weird. I think that this movie really explores that. I think that that's so interesting, because if you ask most people they would be like, yes, I would do anything for another chance.
O-C: April, how about you? Is this concept something you’d be open to?
AM: There's something about the small little moments that I love in life so much and I just don't think I could handle them being replicated. I don't know if I could. I don’t think it would do the person that I remember justice. I don't think I could, as much as I would want to. For their sake. I think I would try to let them go and this is coming from a person who has the hardest time letting go.