ID to put the "AI" in "Aileen Wuornos"

Dost continued, “With [Wuornos], if you look at her face, you can see the suffering that went behind it. You can see the abuse that she went through. It’s a bit like the story of her life you can read on her face, and she went through hell.” This must all come as a surprise to both Theron and Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story‘s Sarah Paulson, who went the traditional, non-AI route toward capturing the tortured soul of the noted serial killer. And it certainly seems to be a mixed blessing for Peacock, the English actor whose own performance is being pasted over with what Dost calls “digital prosthetics.”

“I’m going for as close to her as possible, and then the technology bit kind of left my head after that,” says Peacock, not exactly brimming with enthusiasm. “I was like, ‘This is the job that I’m supposed to do. I’ll do mine to the best of my ability, and then after that, it’s over to them.'” As Peacock added with the demeanor of someone washing their hands of a distasteful task, “Hopefully, they get what they want, and everyone’s happy.” (The actor did explain that she still “can definitely recognize” herself in the final, digitally altered product, so that’s something.)

If all of this sounds like the thin, bargain-basement edge of the AI wedge toward replacing human actors, don’t worry. Dost assures THR that the production followed an “ethical roadmap,” including “not using the tech in cases where we could not get consent.” (Apparently excluding Wuornos herself, who died in the AI-less year of 2002.) “We knew that these tools, if used improperly, could and should warrant pushback,” Dost stated, attempting to get ahead of things, “Our focus was always on using these tools to empower the creativity of our filmmakers and in doing so we believe we’ve unlocked a way for the audience to experience this story in a uniquely authentic way.” 

Exactly how the series’ AI-retooled Wuornos will be more “authentic” is a question the producer does not address, especially as he concedes that the series had “very limited” archival footage of her to work from. If any of the unfortunate Peacock’s pasted-over faces wind up looking more like Theron’s, ID may have legal troubles in its future.