“Where can this go?”: Black Mirror Actors are Afraid that the tech in Hotel Reverie Could Become Reality

Black Mirror season 7 is here, and one of the episodes garnering the most acclaim is the Issa Rae and Emma Corrin starrer Hotel Reverie. The third episode of the latest season of the anthology series follows a Hollywood star who ‘enters’ a classic film with the help of high-tech AI. 

However, the experience proves to be a little too immersive, and she falls in love with the original actress, resulting in a tragic ending. While viewers did shed a tear at the end of the episode, Issa Rae herself thinks it's a terrifying tech that may come true in real life. 

Issa Rae and Awkwafina Express Concern for Hotel Reverie's Tech

Actress Issa Rae revealed in an interview with E! News correspondent Will Marfuggi, “I was engrossed, conceptually, in the fact that this could be a reality—and probably will be, to an extent. Hopefully not as dangerous.”

She further said, “As a fan of older movies hearing that there’s gonna be technology where random people can just make themselves Tom Hanks in Big or Monica in Love and Basketball, that makes me upset.”

Issa’s costar Awkwafina echoed her words and said that she hopes the show will work as a cautionary tale. She said, “Black Mirror is one of those shows that really demonstrates the extremes of where stuff can go and I think anything new is kind of scary inherently.”

She further expressed concern about the extent this tech can go to, saying, “With the technology, you want to do as much to embrace it and make it work for you but there’s always that element of, ‘Where can this go?’”

Using AI to Bring Actors back to life is Controversial

In 2023, BBC reported that there were plans to bring the late James Dean back to life in the Back to Eden film. The site wrote, “A digital clone of the actor – created using artificial intelligence technology similar to that used to generate deepfakes – will walk, talk and interact on screen with other actors in the film. The technology is at the cutting edge of Hollywood computer generated imagery (CGI).”

However, there were concerns about the tech and what it could do. BBC reported, “They (actors) fear being replaced by AI algorithms – something they argue will sacrifice creativity for the sake of profit. Actor Susan Sarandon is among those who has spoken about her concerns, warning that AI could make her "say and do things I have no choice about".”

The digital recreation of Christopher Reeve for the Ezra Miller starrer The Flash film was heavily criticized as well. However, some actors did agree to be resurrected using AI. The Sun reported in 2024, “Star Wars legend James Earl Jones, who voiced Darth Vader, signed a deal allowing Disney to use his distinctive tones in the sci-fi franchise after he died.”

Already, Carrie Fisher, Harold Ramis and Paul Walker have been brought back onscreen with the help of latest tech to reprise their iconic roles onscreen. It remains to be seen how this issue continues evolving.  

Read More: Black Mirror Season 7: All 6 Episodes Ending Twists Explained