Val Kilmer AI performance defended as historic by daughter
Val Kilmer AI performance defended as historic by daughter
Mercedes Kilmer defends her father’s AI-generated likeness for As Deep as the Grave, calling it a historic precedent and urging fair licensing.
The film As Deep as the Grave is drawing attention for a performance attributed to Val Kilmer, who died in 2025, that is rendered with generative AI. His daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, spoke about the decision in interviews, saying her father approved using his likeness to finish the project and that the technology could expand what we can do as humans, not replace them. She emphasized that the industry should build licensing structures to ensure actors are fairly compensated when their likeness is used.
She noted that Kilmer believed AI could open up new creative possibilities and that the project represents a historic precedent for how digital likenesses might be used in cinema. While acknowledging the legitimate concerns raised by many in the industry, she suggested the focus should be on developing clear agreements that protect actors and create opportunities rather than simply avoiding the technology.
I'm a musician, she said, and I know many people who worry this technology could threaten jobs. Yet she also argued that if managed properly, AI can create more work and help filmmakers tell stories in new ways. The ongoing debate around this project reflects broader conversations about licensing, compensation, and the ethics of resurrecting a performer through artificial means as technology advances.
