As artificial intelligence becomes a bigger part of everyday life, Jenna Ortega wants audiences to pay closer attention to the people around them. Her latest science-fiction drama carries a message that technology may change how humans live, but genuine connection still deserves a place in the real world.
Jenna Ortega says Klara and the Sun should get people off their phones
Speaking to Variety at the London Film Festival premiere, Ortega urged people to step away from screens and appreciate those physically present with them. “I think we gotta put our focus on one another and put down the computers and phones,” the actor said. Director Taika Waititi shared her view, saying he hoped viewers would remember the meaning of friendship, connect with others and “just be in the moment.“
The film’s world premiere brought Ortega, Waititi, Amy Adams, Natasha Lyonne and Aran Murphy to the red carpet. Author Kazuo Ishiguro also attended, alongside Waititi’s wife, Rita Ora, and a surprise guest, Florence Pugh.
In Klara and the Sun, Jenna Ortega portrays an artificial companion named Klara, purchased for Josie, an ill girl played by Mia Tharia. Based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2021 novel, the film explores a future where genetic modification and entrenched class divisions shape human lives.
Ortega told Variety that Klara operates differently from modern AI, developing her understanding by observing the “real world” around her instead of “pulling information from the internet.” Director Taika Waititi also wanted the performance to feel less like a machine and more like a child figuring out life for the first time. “Taika wanted a more human approach, so he didn’t want to do movement that was too robotic, maybe more sort of clumsy and unknowing,“ Ortega shared.
Ishiguro also remarked that public view toward artificial intelligence has shifted considerably since his novel was published in 2021. He said the adaptation does not follow the familiar formula of an apparently friendly machine turning sinister. Instead, the story explores a different relationship between people and artificial companions. “It’s not that sort of story,” he said.
Sony Pictures will release Klara and the Sun in theaters on Oct. 23.
