VENICE — Marilyn Monroe did not need artificial intelligence to make her return to the big screen.
That is precisely what Maggie Gyllenhaal discovered while crafting her short film Flesh Impact. After her production team experimented with digitally reconstructing Monroe, the director ultimately scrapped the technology in favor of Dakota Johnson’s unvarnished performance, finding it infinitely more vibrant, emotionally resonant, and deeply human.
At Venice, where conversations surrounding disruptive technology and the future of cinema continue to take center stage, Gyllenhaal sparked a direct confrontation with one of Hollywood’s most contentious debates: Can AI truly replicate a human performance, or is it merely capable of mimicking physical features?
Speaking at a panel during the 83rd Venice Film Festival, Gyllenhaal revealed that the Flesh Impact team was initially pitched a licensed AI model trained on Monroe’s catalog to digitally map her iconic features over Johnson’s performance.
The concept seemed seductive at first—especially given the opportunity to resurrect an icon who passed away more than six decades ago. Yet, the experiment quickly exposed a glaring paradox: the closer the technology got to Monroe, the further the film drifted from the essence Gyllenhaal was striving to capture.
Consequently, the filmmaker chose to abandon the digital double after realizing Johnson offered the character something no algorithm could synthesize: a genuine human presence.
Technology Loses to Pure Craft
The significance of Gyllenhaal’s stance goes beyond a simple rejection of AI; it lies in the artistic reasoning behind it. For her, the issue was never about visual resolution, but rather the total loss of emotional weight.
An actor’s work is not defined by their face alone; it lives in movement, cadence, hesitation, gaze, energy, and real-time vulnerability. When those elements are reduced to a digital simulation, the outline of a character might remain, but the soul vanishes.
In effect, Flesh Impact became a quiet litmus test for what technology can achieve—and where it inherently fails.
Monroe Reimagined Across Generations
The 17-minute short presents two speculative visions of Marilyn Monroe. Johnson embodies the star at the height of her mid-century fame, while Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn portrays an imagined older version navigating a later chapter of life.
Rounding out the cast are Dwayne Johnson, Peter Sarsgaard, and Sepideh Moafi. Produced with the cooperation of Monroe’s estate, the project serves as a cinematic “love letter” to one of Hollywood’s most enduring figures.
Making its world premiere at Venice, the film’s presence extends beyond its runtime, fueling a broader industry discussion about the future of performance and representation on screen.
Gyllenhaal’s Industry Warning
Gyllenhaal’s reservations about AI extend far past this single project. While acknowledging that emerging tech could make filmmaking cheaper and more accessible, she harbors deep anxieties over its potential to destabilize industry economics.
The director voiced concerns over backend equity and compensation when a project that once called for a $40 million budget can be churned out for $4 million or eventually $40,000.
For Gyllenhaal, the alarming question isn’t whether AI can cut production costs, but who will pay millions to human creators when machines can do it for a fraction of the price.
In that light, Flesh Impact transforms from a reflective study of Marilyn Monroe into an urgent warning about the future of the craft.
Venice Debates the Cinematic Future
Gyllenhaal’s insights carry extra weight given her prominent role at this year’s festival, where she serves as Jury President alongside premiering her work. Her voice comes at a moment when Hollywood is grappling with existential questions around AI, performer rights, and creative labor rights.
It also follows her vocal advocacy on screen equity, having recently highlighted the persistent lack of female directors in main competitions and the ongoing hurdles women face in securing film financing.
Whether tackling artificial intelligence or gender parity, Gyllenhaal remains focused on the core query: Who owns the image, and who determines the future of cinema?
Perhaps the sweetest irony of Flesh Impact is that the attempt to digitally revive Marilyn Monroe backfired entirely. Rather than proving technology’s ability to recreate the past, it proved that the elements that keep cinema alive simply cannot be copied.
