Snowpiercer’s Lena Hall Slams Body Scan Tech Ahead of Season 4

 

Lena Hall, the renowned Tony Award-winning actress and Grammy nominee, known for her role in TNT's Snowpiercer, recently shared her discontentment regarding the process of undergoing a full body scan and emotional range capture for Season 4, stating that she was not adequately briefed about its intended use. Taking to Twitter, Hall candidly expressed her feelings about the experience.

So... Snowpiercer season 4 did a full body scan and full range of emotion capture of all the series regulars on the show not ever telling us the real reason why. NOW I know why and it's really disturbing because I didn't consent. #SAGAFTRAstrong #WGA

— Lena Hall (@LenaRockerHall) July 14, 2023

She wrote, “So... Snowpiercer season 4 did a full body scan and full range of emotion capture of all the series regulars on the show not ever telling us the real reason why. NOW I know why and it's really disturbing because I didn't consent.” She further commented in response to her tweet, "P.S. they told us it was for special effects but were very vague!"

P.S. they told us it was for special effects but were very vague!

— Lena Hall (@LenaRockerHall) July 14, 2023

Amidst the ongoing writers' and actors' strike, Lena Hall's revelation about her full body scans for Snowpiercer added significant weight to SAG-AFTRA's decision to reject the proposal put forth by the AMPTP. The union expressed concerns about fair compensation and the unauthorized perpetuation of actors' likenesses.

The AMPTP's controversial proposal, which includes mandatory full body scans as part of the production process, has sparked outrage among SAG-AFTRA members and has become a primary cause for the ongoing strike. Under this proposition, production companies would retain indefinite ownership of the scans, while actors would only receive a day's wages for their participation, without any compensation for future use of their likeness. Fran Drescher, the president of SAG, and Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the National Executive Director, openly opposed this proposal during a recent press conference, announcing the strike as a direct response to the AMPTP's unacceptable demands.

Lena Hall's confirmation of undergoing full body scans for Snowpiercer has shed light on the previously undisclosed implementation of this practice. Although the scans were initially justified as necessary for special effects, the lack of clarity surrounding their purpose raises valid concerns about their intended use. The fact that the AMPTP's rejected proposal explicitly mentions the use of full body scans further fuels the ongoing debate.

The use of computer-generated versions of celebrities has been a topic of discussion for quite some time, explored in various forms of media like the TV series Black Mirror and numerous sci-fi and horror productions. While this technology has its merits, such as allowing for the continuation of actors' roles posthumously or de-aging performers for specific characters, ethical concerns arise when consent is not obtained for perpetual use, as exemplified by Lena Hall's experience.

A recent example of this issue is the TV series The Flash, which utilized a generated version of the late Christopher Reeve's Superman without his consent, given his passing in 2004. Demanding that all performers relinquish their likeness without clear stipulations on its use raises ethical red flags. Furthermore, the added pressure of potential non-hiring if actors refuse to comply only exacerbates the existing concerns.