Rashida Jones says she immediately felt affectionate towards Sunny the first she 'met' the homebot. Photos: Handout
Stories around artificial intelligence are aplenty in the fictional world.
To list them out will be too long, but to cite some examples on film, there are those killer cyborgs (Terminator franchise), them useful bioengineered humanoids (Blade Runner), a cute square metal fella tasked to clean up Earth (Wall-E) and, more recently, an AI resembling a child that wants to save humanity (The Creator).
On TV, we’ve had series like Westworld, Almost Human, Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek that have explored various themes about AI.
Now comes a new series, Sunny, which started streaming on Apple TV+ on July 10, that delves into the complex relationship between humans and AI through a mystery thriller.
In the series, Sunny is said to be a domestic robot or “homebot”.
Besides the ability to help around the house (cooking, cleaning), this homebot is a little advanced in the sense that she (yes, she) can process emotions and has hidden memories (she dreams when she sleeps!).
Sunny also has the funny bone – she tells, and understands, jokes for instance, when watching a reality show – and can be empathetic.
But some may find these “artificial” emotions more exasperating than helpful.
Well, that is exactly how the series’ main human protagonist Suzie (Rashida Jones) feels when she first gets Sunny.
Nonetheless, a shift happens somewhere along the way.
Suzie (Rashida Jones) hangs out with her homebot in a scene from 'Sunny'.
Set in a near-future Japan, Sunny centres around Suzie, an American woman living in Kyoto, whose life becomes empty when her Japanese husband Masa (Hidetoshi Nishijima) and son are killed in a plane crash.
Her mother-in-law, Noriko (Judy Ongg), reaches out to Suzie so they can grieve together.
But Suzie would rather drown her sorrows in alcohol than be in the company of the strict and traditional Japanese woman who likes to berate her.
Suzie’s life takes an interesting turn when she is gifted Sunny, a homebot made by her husband’s company.
The relationship between Suzie and Sunny is somewhat complicated, but the human and the robot slowly form a strange sort of friendship.
At one point, the irritable Suzie even shows her vulnerability to Sunny. And at another point, Sunny showcases jealousy when Suzie shares an emotional moment with a female acquaintance.
Even stranger, the two of them become partners in solving the mystery surrounding Suzie’s husband, which involves members of the Yakuza!
In an online group interview that StarLifestyle was a part of, American actress Jones said that she was attracted to the series for a number of reasons.
One of them is because the series is “so original, weird and dark”.
Another, Jones said, is because Suzie is nothing like her.
“I mean, I’m sure there’s a part of me that’s like Suzie, but I’m generally a rule follower, while Suzie is very much not.
“She acts like she doesn’t give a s*** about anything, which is a bold attitude, especially in Japan. I admire the idea of someone who moves through the world by breaking all the rules,” she said.
The 48-year-old, who is the daughter of legendary music producer Quincy Jones and Mod Squad star Peggy Lipton, went on to describe Suzie as a sensitive person who needs connection, despite that tough exterior she puts up. “Because who doesn’t?” added Jones.
Sunny is a special robot that feels and is curious.
Katie Robbins, the series writer and executive producer, who adapted the story from Colin O’Sullivan’s 2018 novel The Dark Manual, said that it was the character Suzie that intrigued her when she first came across the book.
“Suzie, in the wake of loss, creates an emotional armour for herself – a prickly, dark humour and distancing effect as a means of self-protection.
“That was something that I really related to deeply – a defence mechanism I’ve exhibited at various points in my life, especially during times of loss.
“I was also intrigued by the idea of AI and how it might interact with someone in that emotional state,” Robbins said.
While she retained much of the novel, Robbins did make some adjustments where she made Sunny a female robot and she used Sunny as a tool for Suzie to move past her inward-turning tendencies.
“Robots can be safer to interact with than people because they won’t break your heart, leave you, or die,” Robbins said.
“This allows individuals to make themselves a little vulnerable, gradually opening up until they’re ready to connect with other people again.
“And so I sort of used that as the jumping off point for exploring themes of loss and connection and female friendship that I’d been kind of wanting to write about for a while,” the writer added.
The stars of 'Sunny' with Sunny.
To ensure all these emotions come forth more naturally for the actors, the production team felt it was crucial the cast members see and hear Sunny.
Thus, they opted out of using computer-generated images (CGI) or a person in a robot suit.
Director and executive producer Lucy Tcherniak explained: “From the very beginning, it was important to us that the central relationships, especially between Suzie and Sunny, felt real and authentic. We didn’t want Rashida acting opposite a tennis ball.
“So, we worked with Weta Workshop (The Lord Of The Rings) to create an animatronic robot-puppet, that was then brought to life by a team of people.
“First being Joanna Sotomura, the actress who plays Sunny, who was there throughout filming just off camera, using headgear with technology like motion capture to express in real time onto Sunny’s projected face.
“We mic’d her up, and there was a speaker inside Sunny, making it as real as possible for the actors.
“In addition to Joanna, we had others operating Sunny’s arms and driving.
“It took a whole team – a real village – to bring Sunny to life using technology that no one had really used before in this way, which came with a learning curve, but we made it work.”
Joanna Sotomura's expressions and voice provide the characteristics of Sunny in the series.
Their effort definitely paid off because, according to actress Ongg, she sometimes forgot that she’s acting opposite a robot.
“It’s man-made, but so well made. Furthermore, Sunny’s dialogue is coming from a human being that I felt as if I was working with a human.
“When it laughs, I laugh too. I was amazed whenever that happened,” said the 74-year-old singer-actress through a translator.
“It was an interesting experience and a lot of fun too,” she said, adding that it was the first time in her career working with a robot.
Jones, also a producer on the series, recalled the first time she met Sunny.
“We had a little meet-and-greet in the robot studio. She was really rude. No, I’m just kidding.
“It was cool. She was not what I expected. She was a little bigger and a little bit more muscular, but she was really cute,” Jones said.
“I immediately felt affectionate towards her. A part of my brain responded to, you know, her cute face.
“And they had her put her arm around me, and, you know, I was very easily manipulated into believing this thing was a sentient being (laughs).
“I asked for a hug. It was embarrassing,” added Jones who starred in hit comedies such as The Office and Parks And Recreation.
Masa tries to uncover what's going on in Sunny's head.
Presently, AI is no longer just fiction. It is very real and is already seeping into our everyday lives.
Like her character Suzie, Jones said that she’s constantly fighting technology.
She added that she misses human connection and nature if she spends too much time on a screen or looking at her phone.
“I know it’s inevitable. I know it’s coming. I know AI is here, and it’s going to impact everybody’s industries, including my own.
“But I do work hard to try to restrict my own relationship, to keep it separate from me. I’m not ready to merge yet,” Jones said.
Likewise Nishijima, who plays Suzie’s husband, the brilliant inventor Masa in Sunny, said he wants to take his time in embracing all that new technology has to offer.
The 53-year-old, who is one of Japan’s top leading stars, said: “I’m an optimistic person, so I believe advancement of technology is a good thing.
“But I want to take it slow... even nowadays, I still play my vinyl record player. And I just recently bought a portable cassette tape player... and I’m enjoying that sound. I’m that kind of person.”
The actor, who starred in the Ocar-nominated film Drive My Car added: “With new technology, there is always a risk – it is up to you to decide how to use this technology, otherwise, it will infiltrate your life.”
Although Hidetoshi Nishijima plays an engineer in 'Sunny', the actor himself still listens to retro music players.
Meanwhile, when Ongg was asked how she’d react if she received a homebot like Sunny as a gift, the Taiwanese-Japanese singer exclaimed that she’d love it.
“I love technology! I was very happy when I got a Roomba (Robot vacuum cleaner) as I thought it would clean the house for me. I love anything new, so I would love Sunny,” she said excitedly.
At the same time, Ongg is also very much aware of the advantages and dangers that come with such technology.
“We have to go with (the flow), we have to live with it. There’s no choice; it’s a new era that we’ve already entered.
“Just as we used to need an operator to make a phone call and now we can do it through a watch, the next era will bring even more advancements.
“It’s inevitable. I don’t want to reject it; I want to accept it,” said Ongg, who has been in the entertainment industry since she was a teenager.
“Whether we like it or not, the planet will be filled with older people, and we might need AI to help us survive.
“However, it’s crucial that AI stays within human control and doesn’t go astray. It’s up to the creators and users to establish rules and use it responsibly,” added Ongg, whom her co-star Jones describes as “a national treasure”.
While Judy Ongg (right) loves new technology, Jun Kunimura is quite wary of it.
Robbins agreed that AI, like all human creations, holds great potential for positive change but also has a darker side when misused.
“As a species, we face a choice in how we use AI – whether to harness its potential for good or to let it cause harm – we’re really struggling with that question,” the producer said.
“There is like a tension there that hopefully this series is getting at, whilst being kind of a fun ride along the way.”
Sunny is streaming on Apple TV+, with a new episode available every Wednesday.
