Hollywood has spent the last few years wrestling with digital tech, shrinking margins, and a frustrated audience that’s grown tired of lectures along with lackluster box office returns. Now, actor Simu Liu has stepped into the arena, sounding off about the rise of AI in filmmaking. And at the center of the artificial intelligence debate is the idea of using AI to supplement — or replace — background actors.
The latest spark came when investor and Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary suggested AI could cut Hollywood budgets by scanning extras rather than hiring large crowds of people. Liu, who has long portrayed himself as a voice for working-class actors, fired back hard on social media.
“Sure, blame the extras making $15-$22 an hour struggling to make a living and not above the line people making multiple millions,” he said.
Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) in Marvel Studios‘ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo by Jasin Boland. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
The Shang-Chi and Barbie “star” didn’t stop there. In an interview promoting his upcoming Netflix project, Liu called O’Leary’s argument out of touch.
“First of all, I thought that take that I was responding to is a really dumb take, particularly really tone deaf and out of touch and also just kind of incorrect,” he said. “The idea that these background actors who are making minimum wage are somehow the reason why movies are now costing too much, that’s simply not true.”
Liu continued arguing that film should remain a human craft, stopping short of offering to cut down his immense salaries on films to offset the costs.
“This idea of replacing actors with AI, it’s so antithetical to my development as an actor,” he said. “I feel like art is art because it’s human.”
Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) in Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo by Jasin Boland. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
He also added: “I feel like when we see somebody in the background not moving like a human, we know.”
Hollywood defenders often bring up the “I started as an extra” argument, and Liu is no exception.
Yes, he came from that world — but that doesn’t magically grant him the moral high ground here. What matters isn’t whether someone once stood behind the camera; it’s the broader reality that Hollywood keeps sermonizing about noble causes while ignoring what actually drove audiences away.
Entry-level creative jobs matter — but they are not the heart of Hollywood’s crisis. Broken storytelling, inflated egos, and treating viewers like a problem to be managed instead of a customer to serve — that’s the real wound, and AI didn’t cause it.
(L-R): Katy (Awkwafina) and Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) in Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo by Jasin Boland. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
Meanwhile, filmmaker Guillermo del Toro recently echoed anti-AI sentiment in far more dramatic fashion, claiming he’d “rather die” than use generative AI.
This statement drew applause from some corners of Hollywood — but for many viewers, the bigger concern isn’t whether a director uses digital tools. It’s whether studios finally deliver movies and shows that entertain instead of preach.
The Bigger Picture
AI isn’t vanishing just because Simu Liu is mad about it. Whether Hollywood likes it or not, the technology isn’t going back into the bottle. It already touches visual effects, editing, and concept design, and its presence will only expand. The panic isn’t about technology — it’s about a shaken industry trying to hold on to power and relevance.
Simu Liu sits for an interview – YouTube, Peacock
Audiences aren’t worried about scanned extras. They’re worried about being talked down to, charged more for less, and subjected to declining creative standards. If the Simu Liu AI debate proves anything, it’s that the industry continues to focus on internal squabbles instead of winning back paying customers.
Hollywood insists it’s fighting for “art” and “humanity.” What viewers want is simple: good stories again. If the film industry can’t deliver, technology isn’t the threat — audience abandonment is.
How do you feel about Simu Liu and AI in Hollywood? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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