AI is stalking the last lions of Hollywood
The first actors to lose their jobs to artificial intelligence are four-legged
Padding around his spacious ranch in the hills outside Los Angeles, Luke has the swagger of an actor who has made it in Hollywood. After six successful years in the movies he lives in an open-plan home with mountain views, a large swimming pool and staff who bring him steak or smoothies when required. A driver is on hand to take him into the city when he gets a call to shoot an ad or make a paid appearance at an event, for which he commands a fee equal to a week’s pay for a lowlier actor. Luke turns heads like few other artists. His agent’s only complaint is that, given half a chance, he might try to eat his co-stars.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Christmas Specials section of the print edition under the headline “The last lions of Hollywood”
Christmas Specials December 23rd 2023
- On safari in South Sudan, one of the world’s most dangerous countries
- Many Trump supporters believe God has chosen him to rule
- Global warming is changing wine (not yet for the worse)
- How five Ukrainian cities are coping, despite Putin’s war
- A tale of penguins and prejudice is a parable of modern America
- What the journey of a pair of shoes reveals about capitalism
- A short history of tractors in English
- Millions of Chinese are venturing to the beach for the first time
Discover more
Inside the last true political machine in America
What a town is like when one family runs everything
The truth about the passenger jet Putin’s men shot down
Investigating MH17, the crime that presaged the war in Ukraine
Meet the boffins and buccaneers drilling for hydrogen
The search is on for a clean fuel that could one day replace oil
The best sailors in the world
Why the vaka, vehicle for the extraordinary story of the peopling of Oceania, is enjoying a revival
Oceania’s wayfinding skills
The art of getting a vessel and its occupants from one place on a vast ocean to another
Why more women are picking up power tools
Sisters are doing it for themselves