Kevin O’Leary, who stars alongside Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme, said the A24 movie could have saved millions by using AI.
During a recent interview with World of Travel, O’Leary spoke about his role in Marty Supreme. Naturally, O’Leary, a prolific investor and Shark Tank star, has a business-first perspective about his time on the set.
O’Leary has heavily invested in AI, a hot-button topic that has dominated Hollywood conversation as of late. O’Leary suggested that Marty Supreme should have embraced AI and used the technology to replace extras, which would have saved money on the budget.
What did Marty Supreme’s Kevin O’Leary say about AI?
“Almost every scene had as many as 150 extras. Now, those people have to stay awake for 18 hours, be completely dressed in the background. [They’re] not necessarily in the movie, but they’re necessary to be there moving around. And yet, it costs millions of dollars to do that,” O’Leary said. “Why couldn’t you simply just put AI agents in their place? They’re not the main actors. They’re only in the story visually, and it would save millions of dollars, so more movies could be made. That same director, instead of spending $90 million or whatever he spent, could’ve spent $35 million and made two movies.”
Marty Supreme has an estimated budget of $70 million, the largest in A24 history.
O’Leary doubled down on AI by bringing up Tilly Norwood, the AI actress that the industry has slammed since her debut. O’Leary, whom he mistakenly called Tilly Norwell, suggested that Norwood is the future when it comes to using extras in movies.
“Tilly Norwell is an actor that’s burst onto the scene,” O’Leary explained. “She is 100 percent AI. She doesn’t exist, but she’s a great actress. She can come in at any age you want. She doesn’t need to eat, so she works 24 hours a day, and the union is going out of their minds.”
O’Leary added, “You can’t stop the advancement of technology. So I’m spending a lot of time investing in it.”
Marty Supreme opens in theaters on December 25, 2025.
