Jenna Ortega hopes her upcoming science-fiction film Klara and the Sun will encourage audiences to spend less time on their devices and reconnect with the people around them.
Speaking at the film’s world premiere during the BFI London Film Festival on October 15, the Wednesday star discussed how its dystopian story reflects growing concerns about artificial intelligence, technology and human relationships.
“I think we gotta put our focus on one another and put down the computers and phones,” Ortega told Variety.
She also encouraged audiences to appreciate the people physically present in their lives rather than becoming consumed by digital distractions.
Why Klara and the Sun’s Message Matters
Directed by Taika Waititi, Klara and the Sun adapts Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2021 novel.
Ortega plays Klara, an Artificial Friend designed to provide companionship in a technologically advanced society. Her life changes when she is purchased by teenager Josie (Mia Tharia), whose family is struggling with grief and emotional difficulties.
Amy Adams portrays Josie’s mother, while Steve Buscemi and Natasha Lyonne also appear in the film.
The story explores an interesting contradiction: a machine designed to imitate companionship may understand human connection better than the people around her.
Taika Waititi Explains the Film’s AI Themes
Waititi echoed Ortega’s concerns at the London premiere, explaining that society risks losing control of its relationship with technology.
The filmmaker described the adaptation as one of his most dramatic projects, despite incorporating elements of his familiar humour.
Unlike conventional science-fiction stories centred on robots threatening humanity, Klara and the Sun examines loneliness, empathy and the emotional consequences of technological dependence.
The 116-minute film premiered at London’s Royal Festival Hall and arrives in US and UK cinemas on October 23, 2026.
For Ortega, its central message is straightforward: technology may offer companionship, but it should not replace genuine human relationships.
