‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’ Stars Slam Generative AI’s Influence on Hollywood

When Sam Rockwell’s disheveled protagonist barrels into a Norms diner during the frantic opening of Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, he is a walking enigma. Clad in tattered rags and raving about temporal rifts, he claims to be a messenger from a doomed future. His mission: to recruit a ragtag group of patrons for a high-stakes quest to save humanity—even if he isn’t entirely certain who he’s looking for. However, amidst the confusion, one sentiment rings out with absolute clarity: he harbors a deep-seated loathing for artificial intelligence.

Between his frantic outbursts, Rockwell’s character reveals that his era has been decimated by a sentient, god-like AI (evoking a Skynet-style apocalypse). He has journeyed back to our present to implement critical safety protocols before the digital genie leaves the bottle. While this unnamed traveler’s grudge is born of survival, the real-world cast of Good Luck appears to share his skepticism toward the technology.

Zazie Beetz, who portrays a teacher in the film, stands as the most vocal critic of generative AI and its controversial encroachment on the film industry.

“Realistically, I suppose AI could function as a tool, much like CGI is used to refine specific details, but my gut reaction is simply: fuck AI,” Beetz shared with Polygon. “I have no desire to see it integrated into cinema. The metaphorical cat is out of the bag, so now we must rely on stringent regulation and legislation. Personally, I think we should just abolish it. I believe we still could. I wish we had pulled the plug on Instagram at its inception; I wish we could undo it all and retreat to the simplicity of the 1990s.”

Michael Peña, appearing as a fellow teacher, was equally blunt in his assessment.

“Yeah, fuck AI,” he agreed, admitting he once experimented with the tech to see if it could generate comedic material for him “just for laughs.” The results, he says, were underwhelming.

“It was terrible,” Peña remarked. “It wasn’t funny in the slightest. It lacked any genuine wit or soul. It only offered a hollow imitation of what it thinks sincerity should look like. When it comes to authentic human expression and the nuances of artistry, I don’t think it offers much value.”

Sam Rockwell offered a slightly more pragmatic, albeit still cautious, perspective.

“I think it has its uses for researching scripts or verifying facts. In that sense, it’s a helpful resource,” Rockwell noted. “My concern is how easily it can spiral out of control. Ultimately, AI is derivative by nature. It can never achieve true originality. If you want something genuinely unique, you need a human being at the helm.”

Director Gore Verbinski acknowledged that while AI is efficient for administrative tasks like file management, it has no business in the creative sanctum. “I don’t believe it should handle the fundamental tasks that define our humanity,” he stated. “We are meant to tell stories, compose poetry, illustrate, and capture life through photography.”

Verbinski suggested that our growing reliance on such technology has already sparked a quiet crisis of the spirit.

“There is a collective sense that something is fundamentally wrong,” Verbinski observed. “That’s why this film felt so urgent. There is a visible erosion of identity—a loss of purpose or a kind of global malaise. People can feel it deep down.”

When asked if he would have joined Rockwell’s character in that diner to take a stand against the AI threat, Verbinski didn’t hesitate for a second.

“Oh, hell yeah!” the director exclaimed.

Source: Polygon