Artificial intelligence and humans collide in the latest instalment of “Tron: Ares” which follows an AI-generated character who is sent from the digital world into the real world.
For British actress, Jodie Turner-Smith, who joins the cast as Athena, the film is a visual delight that needs to be experienced in theaters.
“The audio and the visual go hand in hand. We have made a world that is so incredible, cool and beautiful,” shares the actress whose film credits include “Queen & Slim” and “White Noise.”
Starring Jared Leto, who also doubles as producer, the film is directed by Joachim Rønning, and it follows a digital Program, Ares (Jared Leto), who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind’s first encounter with A.I. beings. As Ares experiences his surroundings and has his first brush with humanity, his consciousness – and conscience – start to evolve, but it’s the opposite for Turner-Smith’s character Athena who is Ares’ second in command.
“Athena’s response to the world is going down a certain path,” she explains. “She’s sticking to the programming. And she’s very absolute on her journey to fulfill that. When you have that kind of absolutism, that also means that you might want to override what your programmer is telling you to do.”
Imposing, calculated and driven solely by her programming to fulfill any directive, her character, Athena is a member of an elite special forces unit of Programs. With incredible power and the inability to fear or doubt, Athena is a nearly unstoppable force and Turner-Smith says she was excited to play such a strong character.
“Athena is hardcore, she’s a badass, which is very cool to do, and very interesting and I think it’s always fun when a character represents more of the chaos,” she continues. “In her own way, Athena is the chaos that can come when nuance is unable to be interpreted.”
This film marks the next chapter of Disney’s “Tron” franchise. The first film “Tron” was released in 1982 with the sequel “Tron: Legacy” released in 2010. The films explore what it means to be human when the digital and real world collide.
“The sets were incredibly well designed. I hope that people really also appreciate the production design as it is well curated. There was so much that was practical. This film needs to be seen,” Turner-Smith adds.
By Samantha Ofole-Prince / Photos by Leah Gallo
