Simu Liu slams Kevin O’Leary over AI proposal to replace background actors in movies

Actor Simu Liu has spoken out against businessman Kevin O’Leary’s recent comments suggesting that film and television productions could save money by using artificial intelligence to replace background actors. O’Leary, known for his role on Shark Tank, made the remarks during an appearance on The Hill’s World of Travel: The Podcast, where he discussed his acting debut in A24’s upcoming film Marty Supreme.

O’Leary claimed that employing human extras costs studios “millions of dollars” and proposed that AI-generated characters could take their place. “They’re not the main actors — they’re only in the story visually,” he said. “You could save millions of dollars, so more movies could be made.” He even referenced AI “actresses” such as Tilly Norwood, suggesting that studios could simply “put 100 Norwell Tillies” in a film to cut costs.

The comments drew widespread backlash, including from Liu, who criticized the idea in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “Sure, blame the extras making 15–22 dollars an hour struggling to make a living, and not above-the-line people making multiple millions,” Liu wrote, referencing the industry term for high-earning actors, directors, and producers.

Liu later expanded on his remarks, arguing that replacing extras with AI would primarily benefit top executives. “Tech breakthroughs overwhelmingly benefit the hyper-wealthy and leave ordinary people in the dust,” he added, emphasizing that “nobody needs AI extras.”

Many social media users echoed Liu’s sentiments, with several background actors expressing gratitude for his defense of their profession. One commenter wrote that human extras “give life to the set,” while another warned that AI replacements would “drain authenticity” from film productions. Critics also argued that budget issues stem more from inflated executive salaries than from the wages of background performers.