As Hollywood grapples with AI's expanding role in filmmaking, Wicked director Jon M. Chu is drawing a clear line in the sand. Speaking at WIRED's Big Interview event in San Francisco, the filmmaker argued that cinema's most memorable moments come from human spontaneity - something machines simply can't manufacture. His example? Cynthia Erivo's spontaneous wink in Wicked that became an instant icon.
Hollywood's AI debate just got a powerful voice from an unexpected corner. Jon M. Chu, the director behind this year's blockbuster Wicked adaptation, made a compelling case for human creativity over machine generation during WIRED's Big Interview event in San Francisco.
The filmmaker, who's no stranger to technology having started as a YouTuber, drew a clear distinction between AI's utility and its creative limitations. "I'm fascinated by AI's potential for information gathering and organization," Chu told WIRED's senior culture editor Manisha Krishnan. But when it comes to the magic that makes cinema memorable, he believes human spontaneity remains irreplaceable.
His proof point? That now-iconic moment when Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba winks at the camera while donning her witchy cape. "If I'd written that wink into the script before the scene was shot, it would have felt rote and hacky," Chu explained. "But when Erivo did it spontaneously during a take, it felt perfect. Since she did it in the moment, it becomes an image that lasts forever."
This perspective comes from someone uniquely positioned to understand both tech innovation and creative storytelling. Growing up in the Bay Area, Chu credits Silicon Valley's tech community for launching his career. In the '90s, tech-savvy customers at his parents' Chinese restaurant would slip the teenage filmmaker computers, video cards, and software when they heard about his filmmaking interests. "I was built by the generosity of this place," he reflected.
That early exposure to technology shaped Chu's approach to modern filmmaking tools, including AI. He's actively learning how to integrate artificial intelligence into his creative process, but maintains that the technology serves best as a support system rather than a replacement for human intuition and spontaneity.
The Wicked production exemplifies this philosophy. Rather than meticulously pre-planning every camera movement and line of dialogue, Chu embraced practical sets and improvisation. "There was value in having practical sets and being able to improvise rather than having to write every bit of dialog, camera motion, or characterization in advance," he said.
