This week’s AI update is a particularly interesting one for actors. A major gathering has just taken place here in France at The Lumière Summit in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, bringing together governments, filmmakers, actors, producers, studio heads and industry organisations from around the world. And AI was right at the centre of the conversation. What I find encouraging is that we seem to be moving beyond the rather exhausting “AI good / AI bad” argument. The conversation is becoming much more practical: AI is here. How do we use it without losing the human beings, human creativity and human performances our industry is built on? Here are the stories I think are worth your time this week. 🎭 1. A MAJOR NEW PRINCIPLE: HUMAN CREATION MUST REMAIN AT THE HEART OF FILM At the Lumière Summit on 7 September, representatives from across the international screen industry adopted the Lumière Declaration on the Future of Cinema and the Moving Image. And there is one line in it that really matters. The declaration acknowledges that AI can strengthen creativity, innovation and the circulation of work —while making it equally clear that human creation should remain at the heart and foundation of that work. For me, that's the balance. Use the technology. Learn what it can do. Let it help where it genuinely helps. But AI stays in its lane. The performance, the imagination, the storytelling and the creative choices still begin with human beings. 👉 Read the official Lumière Declaration: Lumière Declaration — Élysée Palace 🛡️ 2. MUCH MORE IMPORTANT FOR ACTORS: VOICE, LIKENESS, CONSENT AND PAYMENT Alongside the wider Lumière Declaration came a separate Saint-Paul-de-Vence Declaration on Artificial Intelligence. This gets much more specific. The principles include greater transparency around what material is used to train AI, identifying AI-generated or AI-altered content, and giving rights holders ways of knowing when their work has been used.

I was just thinking about a major lesson from Cars as I'm about to rewatch it in theaters for the 20 year anniversary (I feel old 😂). All lightning McQueen was hoping for was to win the Piston Cup and do to a detour he ends up in Radiator Springs where he has to learn to slow down. He eventually meets a racing legend that says those cups don't mean anything. The glory is not in the titles. It's in the journey. Along the way Lightning McQueen met his friends, learned that he can't win alone as it takes a team that backs him up and being the better person will open more doors than being the arrogant winner. As a kid I thought I just wanted the fame and I admit that did scare me after listening to those around me, but realized I had that conversation with those who haven't witnessed it up close. Now I just want to act with the greats, getting some awards will be great but it's not the main thing and no matter the circumstances, slow down as you don't need to have it all figured out all the time. What's one lesson you can relate to because of Cars?

No matter how's look at it, the day is drawing near. It’s time for my "silver screen" debut in Poland—on September 21st at the 51st Polish Film Festival in Gdynia/Poland. Of course, I hope I'll be on screen. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DvteD1rBM/ And here is the trailer that has just been released. https://www.filmweb.pl/news/Zaginione%2Bz%C5%82oto%2Bw%2Bnowym%2Bfilmie%2BJana%2BHolubka.%2BZwiastun%2Bfilmu%2B%22Dziki%2C%2Bdziki%2Bwsch%C3%B3d%22-168343?fbclid=IwdGRjcAUFJfZjbGNrBQUl6XBkb2YBZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEeIL5lb6EM7uRBvML87bSx-AFvW5E6HDPHmkuocuy1KTTDEf3pC4sqbMV1Qbw_aem_4E3Uh0tUH144ZulRbBYg8A Since some of you are having trouble accessing the trailer hosted on the film portal (the Polish equivalent of IMDb)—though I assure you it is possible to get there from the site, just not directly—I am posting another version here from YouTube. https://youtu.be/z2lYL5_FlA8?is=AMM6Q6FiNR7WoDYt

Claire and I are going live in The Green Room for a session she has wanted to do for some time: The Hero’s Journey. Inspired by the work of Joseph Campbell, particularly The Hero with a Thousand Faces, the Hero’s Journey is usually discussed in relation to storytelling — the call to adventure, resistance, trials, transformation and ultimately returning changed. But look at it through the eyes of an actor and it becomes something else as well. An acting career has its own calls to adventure. Its own rejection, doubt, risk, mentors, setbacks, breakthroughs and moments when you have to decide whether you are actually prepared to cross the threshold and do the work. We’re going to look at how you show up for that journey as an actor — not simply waiting for somebody to give you permission to have a career, but recognising where you are in your own story and what the next step requires from you. And Claire will bring another layer to the conversation: script and story structure. The Hero’s Journey has had an enormous influence on modern screenwriting because it gives us a way of understanding what drives a character through a story, what they are forced to confront and, crucially, how they change. So we’ll be looking at it from both sides: The actor living the journey. And the character travelling through one. I think this is going to be a fascinating session. 📅 Thursday 17 September 🎬 LIVE in The Actors Copilot Green Room More details and the live link coming shortly.

Okay, I've just brought the Jaws music in the Green Room, but there is a purpose! Your weekend challenge is to do something silly, playful and completely unnecessary. Viola Spolin, one of the great pioneers of actor training and the originator of Theatre Games, believed that acting grows naturally from play. Play reconnects us with spontaneity, imagination and instinct, all essential tools for an actor. So give your inner critic the weekend off, find that fearless child within you and have some fun. And if you find a moment, share with us! Claire 🦈 🎬