Khaberni - Leading Hollywood stars are undergoing a radical transformation that is reshaping the concept of stardom in the digital age.
In a meeting with his colleague, star "Timothée Chalamet", actor and Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey warned that the wave of modern technologies is no longer just a future possibility but a reality that is imposing itself on the corridors of the film industry, emphasizing that denial is no longer a viable option against the economic and productive power of these tools.
The Actor-Owner Theory
The new vision adopts the principle of "The Actor-Owner" instead of just the performer, where stars begin to trademark their voices, features, and entire identities.
McConaughey believes that legal control is the only way to ensure that digital identity is not stolen, indicating that the future may see new categories at the Oscars such as "Best Artificial Intelligence Actor" or "Best Digitally Made Film", which challenges the traditional standards of human creativity.
Interestingly, Adrien Brody won the 2025 Oscar for the film "The Brutalist", which used artificial intelligence to smooth his accent in Hungarian-performed scenes, meaning the nature of the award has indeed changed without a complete alteration of its rules.
From "No" Opposition to "How" Strategy
Matthew McConaughey's stance reveals a fundamental shift in the stars' thinking towards artificial intelligence; instead of standing in the trench of rejection, the star believes the real bet is not in stopping the wave, but in owning the rights, saying: "There is a lot of money at stake and it's very productive, so sitting on the sidelines and ethically pleading that this is wrong will not suffice."
McConaughey illustrates this logic with a practical example, explaining: "One day, someone will ask you to 'bring' your character to a birthday party in the Bahamas without you being physically there; thus, whoever owns the rights to their voice and image will have the right to accept, reject, or price the offer, whereas those who don't will find themselves outside the equation."
McConaughey did not just offer advice; he has trademarked his famous phrase from the film "Dazed and Confused", and invested an undisclosed amount in “Eleven Labs”, which will produce a digital version of his voice that even speaks Spanish, valuing the company at about 6.6 billion dollars as of September 2025.
