DUBAI: When British actress Jodie Turner-Smith stepped into the sleek, neon-lit world of “Tron: Ares,” she wasn’t just joining an iconic sci-fi franchise — she was diving headfirst into a meditation on the intersection of technology and humanity.
In the latest installment, “Tron: Ares,” Jared Leto plays Ares — a sophisticated digital program sent into the real world on a perilous mission. It’s humankind’s first encounter with artificial intelligence in the flesh and a test of what happens when code meets conscience.
Alongside Greta Lee’s Eve Kim — the ENCOM CEO searching for the elusive code written by software engineer Kevin Flynn (the protagonist of 1982’s “Tron”) — Ares finds himself questioning not just his programming but his place in a world full of unpredictable humans.
At Ares’ side — and mostly at odds with him — stands Athena, his second-in-command, portrayed by Turner-Smith. Describing her character, the actress said, “I think it’s always fun when a character represents more of the chaos. In her own way, Athena is the chaos that can come when nuance is unable to be interpreted. And that’s Athena’s struggle throughout the movie; interpreting nuance while she’s having this experience that is changing her.
“I think we made a really fun movie, and ultimately, I think that’s what we go to the cinema for: to have an experience,” she continued. “I love to go to watch movies for fun. ‘Tron: Ares’ really is event cinema. It’s so immersive and interesting.”
While “Tron: Ares” promises the spectacle fans expect — breathtaking visuals, kinetic action, and a pulse-pounding soundtrack from industrial rockers Nine Inch Nails — Turner-Smith says it also leaves room for reflection. “I want people to go away having a conversation,” said the 39-year-old. “There’s so much talk about the doom and gloom of artificial intelligence and all the bad things that can happen, but I want people to walk away from the film with the state of mind of Dr. Eve Kim, who is thinking, ‘How do we keep this technology human-centered? How do we use it to make the world a better place?’
“Our movie is not answering these questions, but it is sitting in the question, which I think is important for any film. It’s to make you think and to make you talk,” she continued. “And hopefully there’s going to be a kid watching this movie who is a future programmer, who is the genius who is going to create a program like Ares that improves the world.”
Jodie Turner-Smith as Athena in 'Tron-Ares.' (Supplied)
Director Joachim Ronning says the film reflects his own ambivalence toward AI. “I think it’s a little bit of both,” he said when asked if the movie envisions a utopia or a dystopia. “I have mixed emotions about it. As a filmmaker and an artist, I guess I’m nervous — I hope that we can move forward carefully and with some guardrails to AI. But on the other hand, it could also help advance humanity and find solutions to things that we wouldn’t otherwise.”
For Turner-Smith, the emotional weight of “Tron: Ares” was clear from the moment she read the script. “It had heart, it had humor — it struck me how funny it was; I didn’t expect that — and it was cool, you know?”
Jared Leto (L) and Jodie Turner-Smith at the premiere of 'Tron-Ares' in Hollywood on Oct. 6. (AFP)
Working with Leto, she said, was an especially rewarding experience. “I had a blast with him, really. He is a ‘Tron’ head. He’s a huge fan of this franchise. And you could feel how much he loved and cared about it.”
That energy, she added, was infectious. “He was super-supportive of me, very encouraging. I loved doing our stuff together as Athena and Ares, I really did, but I wanted more. I feel like we didn’t have enough. I’m looking forward to ‘Tron 4’ when Athena returns.”
