In Robert Zemeckis’s 2024 film Here, AI helped show Tom Hanks and Robin Wright at younger ages, including versions reminiscent of their 1990s appearances. The system, Metaphysic Live, gave the actors and crew an on-set preview; the finished effects were built through a larger visual-effects process involving reference footage, artist work, compositing and, for some scenes, practical makeup.
What did Tom Hanks and Robin Wright look like in the 90s?
Here depicts Hanks and Wright’s characters, Richard and Margaret, at different points in their lives, including as young adults. The film’s younger versions draw on the actors’ earlier appearances, but the production accounts describe age-specific digital models and visual-effects work—not a simple rewind to one exact year or a claim that every shot reproduces a particular 1990s image.
The story is told from a largely fixed camera position as decades pass through the same space. That format lets viewers see the characters age within a home whose occupants and surroundings change around them. The Associated Press describes the film’s 105-minute running time and fixed-angle approach; the film is based on Richard McGuire’s graphic novel Here, as noted by Harbor Picture Company.
How did the AI de-aging work?
Metaphysic Live provided an on-set preview
ABC News reported that the production used Metaphysic Live to create real-time aging and de-aging previews from career interview footage of Hanks and Wright. The setup let the crew compare the camera image with a transformed version on monitors while filming.
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That preview was feedback for the actors, not a replacement for their performances. Hanks said seeing the transformed image was initially “shocking,” but helped him think about physical choices. He described the adjustment plainly: “I need to have better posture.” The preview could reveal how posture, movement and speech might read for a character at a different age.
Cinematographer Don Burgess told The Credits that the system could show the crew, “a little glitchy,” what an actor looked like when young. His description is specifically about the live image and its usefulness on set—not a claim that the preview was the finished shot. Read Burgess’s interview with The Credits.
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The final images involved more than a live filter
For the finished film, VFX supervisor Kevin Baillie described a broader pipeline in fxguide’s November 14, 2024 production deep dive. The team trained age-specific models using reference images and footage, refined the results with artists, and combined neural renders with conventional Nuke compositing. The real-time on-set previews helped with performance, while higher-quality work was completed in post-production.
fxguide reports more than 53 minutes of complete face-replacement work for the film. Its account says Hanks was represented at five ages and Wright at four; Paul Bettany and Kelly Reilly were each represented at two ages. These are figures for Here as reported by fxguide, not a general measure of how much de-aging another production requires.
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Digital work met practical makeup and sound work
The pipeline was not identical for every age effect or department. fxguide reports that digital methods enhanced Robin Wright’s old-age prosthetics, including skin translucency and fine wrinkles. Respeecher and Skywalker Sound also worked on voice de-aging. The facial imagery, makeup and voice work therefore involved different tools and contributors rather than one all-purpose AI process.
Did AI perform the actors’ roles?
No: the accounts describe Hanks and Wright performing their scenes, with the technology helping the production visualize and alter how their faces appeared at different ages. The on-set transformation gave the actors a reference for physical choices; artists and conventional effects work helped shape the final images. Describing the result as actors being replaced by AI would misstate the reported workflow.
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The film also arrived amid wider debate about AI and performers’ likenesses. ABC News reported that Metaphysic characterized its practices as ethical and said they involved consent and data protection. That is the company’s stated position as reported by ABC, not an independent audit of the underlying permissions or datasets.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How does Here’s approach compare with other de-aging methods?
There is no single de-aging workflow. Ars Technica’s coverage contrasts Here’s live AI-assisted previews and trained-model post-production workflow with ILM’s Flux approach for Harrison Ford, which it describes as using infrared cameras for facial capture and older images in post.
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| Production approach | What the cited coverage describes |
|---|---|
| Here | Metaphysic Live previews transformed images on set; age-specific models, artist refinement and compositing contribute to the finished work, according to ABC News and fxguide. |
| ILM’s Flux for Harrison Ford | Ars Technica describes infrared cameras for facial capture and older images used in post-production. |
The key distinction is not simply “AI versus no AI.” The approaches differ in capture methods, how reference material is used, whether actors see a transformed image during filming, and how much of the work happens on set or in post.
How was the de-aging received?
Production accounts explain the workflow; they do not establish how audiences generally responded to its realism. The Associated Press review was negative about the de-aging result, as its headline indicates. That is one critic’s assessment, not evidence of a universal audience or critical consensus.
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