- The Actor's Diary
- Posts
- Magnus Bruun on The Last Kingdom vs. Motion Capture and the Alarming Rise of AI in Acting
Magnus Bruun on The Last Kingdom vs. Motion Capture and the Alarming Rise of AI in Acting
Team Actor's Diary
July 25, 2025
When actor Magnus Bruun played King Cnut in The Last Kingdom, he fought with real swords, stood in gritty sets, and breathed life into historical scenes. It was raw, emotional, and human.
But when Ubisoft cast him as Eivor, the lead in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, he found himself in an entirely different world:
“You want me to be a Viking hero,” Magnus recalled, “but you stripped me of my beard, my armor—everything.”
This wasn’t just another acting job—it was motion capture, a highly technical, digitally reliant process where emotions had to be imagined, not felt.
Motion Capture: The Stripped-Down Reality
In our conversation on The Stream Panther, Magnus reflected on the mental shift that came with stepping into a motion capture studio:
No set.
No costume.
Just dots on his face and a virtual sword in his hand.
“I had to pretend… but it was hard. Because I missed the real chaos. The unexpected things that happen when you're in costume, with real people.”
The contrast between on-set realism and digital performance was stark. It made him appreciate the grounded, visceral nature of shows like The Last Kingdom even more.
🤖 AI in Acting: The Real Danger Isn’t Tech—It’s Ownership
Later in the interview, the conversation took a more cautionary turn.
Magnus shifted from motion capture to a topic shaking the entire industry:
AI in acting.
Not the cool kind. The scary kind.
“Don’t sell your likeness. Don’t let them own your face. Or your voice.”
In a world where studios can digitally replicate actors’ voices and faces indefinitely, Bruun is sounding the alarm.
It’s not about rejecting technology—it’s about protecting what makes acting human.
🛡️ What Every Actor Needs to Know
Magnus’s warning is simple, but urgent:
Read your contracts—especially the parts about likeness and voice rights
Don’t sign away your image without limits
Be cautious of long-term licensing clauses that allow studios to use your digital self—even after you're gone
“There’s no heart in AI. The most important thing to me is the people I work with. Good stories only happen in good company.”
🎧 Why This Episode Matters
Whether you're an actor, gamer, filmmaker, or just someone who loves a great story—this episode hits hard.
It’s about the future of storytelling.
The fight for humanity in an industry going digital.
And one actor’s honest, passionate plea to keep it real.
🎧 Listen to the full interview on Apple Podcasts
▶️ Watch on Spotify