Tom Hanks thinks Tom Hanks should play him in a movie about his life.
Well, a virtual version of himself, anyway.
“Because of deepfake technology and AI, I believe I can play myself,” the Oscar-winning actor quipped to MSNBC’s Ari Melber in a lengthy interview that aired Wednesday.
Melber asked if it would actually be Hanks on the screen if deepfake footage was involved.
“I don’t know, but even if I’m dead and gone, my intellectual property rights will still be in place and I’ll still get paid,” Hanks joked.
Watch the interview below, with Hanks’ biopic remarks from 42 minutes:
While Hanks’ comments may have been tongue-in-cheek, the challenges being brought by the new technology appear to be on his mind.
On the latest episode of British comedian Adam Buxton’s podcast, Hanks acknowledged the legal and artistic issues the movie industry is now facing.
There is now the possibility of pitching “a series of seven movies that would star me in them, in which I would be 32 years old, from now until kingdom come,” Hanks noted.
“Anybody can now recreate themselves at any age they are by way of AI or deepfake technology,” Hanks continued. “Because look, I could be hit by a bus tomorrow and that’s it, but my performances can go on and on and on and on.”
“And outside of the understanding that it’s been done with AI or deepfake, there’ll be nothing to tell you that it’s not me and me alone,” he said. “Without a doubt, people will be able to tell, but the question is will they care?”
“There are some people that won’t care, that won’t make that delineation,” Hanks added.
Listen to Hanks’ podcast comments from the 37-minute mark here: