Alexis Ren is our big screen friend
By Joe Barlow
It turns out Alexis Ren lives solidly in the gray area. And she likes it that way.
She’s not just a model. She’s not just an influencer with 10s of millions of followers. She’s not just an actress. She’s all of those things and more.
Her newest shade of gray is starring in the new sci-fi thriller, Latency. In it, she plays the best friend of a professional gamer testing out the newest AI powered video game system. Since it’s a thriller, the console is obviously also capable of reading her mind. Let’s just say it’s a strain on a solid friendship and it stressed me out to watch (in a good way.)
I got to interview Alexis over Zoom to hear her thoughts on technology’s gray areas, girl friending, and what to do with my hands in photos.
It has been edited for length and clarity.
Joe:
Well, Alexis, thank you so much for talking to me. I saw the movie last night, and I got scared. Do you like scary movies?
Alexis:
I actually don’t like scary movies. I have the argument like, ‘life’s scary enough’. And if you would have told me, “Hey you’re doing a scary movie,” I’d be like, no. My younger self would be like, we don’t want to do that! But because this movie has such an amazing story and it’s so relevant today with technology and where it’s going, I felt really called to do this, just simply because I now have a reason to talk about, you know, the rise of technology and how we make sure that we’re our healed versions of ourselves so that we’re not projecting our shit into technology, pardon my language.
Joe:
You’re allowed to say shit.
Alexis:
Perfect, perfect.
Joe:
You could say a whole number of words.
Alexis:
Great.
Joe:
You brought up technology, and obviously it is a huge theme in this movie. What do you think is your most controversial take on technology?
Alexis:
I wouldn’t say controversial, but I always go back to this idea that it’s not good or bad. We really like to categorize things in life like this or that, yes or no, wrong or right, but intention is always the key component of what creates the outcome. I always like to go back to technology is a neutral thing. It’s not good or bad, but when we don’t have a clear intention with using it correctly, that’s when things can turn dark.
Joe:
You’re talking about approaching technology with intention, but it seems like these companies are so eager to be first, but they don’t always have an intention of like, well, what is this product actually doing? What is it solving?
Alexis: (Sarcastically)
You mean they don’t care about us? No.
Joe:
Exactly. So like what what advice would you give to some of these companies that seemingly are not following your take?
Alexis:
I mean, I could just simply say would you care about us instead of numbers and spreadsheets? But it’s happening regardless. So that’s the thing I always tell people. I’m like, this has happened. The singularity is coming, no matter if we like it or not. So now we can really take the power into our hands and say, okay, what do I want to let into my life? You know, because they’re not going to force us into these things, but they will make it so tempting that it will feel like a natural integration. So just being really aware of when those integrations come into play and ask it, hey, is this going to help my life from an evolution standpoint of who I am? Or is this just going to make my life more convenient for me? I think this idea of convenience we have to be very careful of.
Joe:
Yeah. And then things become trendy. You got to have the newest version of this product or thing and then, yeah, you don’t really stop.
Alexis:
If I have iPhone telling me one more time that there’s a better camera that they’re bringing out. I’m going to shoot it. (laughs) I can’t.
Joe:
What technology would you be open to getting implemented into you? Like, for example, they have these, you know, they have these brain chip things now.
Alexis:
Neuralink
Joe:
Yeah so what would you be most interested in having?
Alexis:
I don’t think I would put something in my body, but I heard recently that they’re doing, earphones that can, in real time, translate different languages. And I think that would be really helpful because then it would connect the world in such a cool way. Obviously there will be downsides. With any gift, there’s, you know, a curse to it. That’s kind of how our world works with this duality thing. So I like that idea a lot. I think that could be very helpful.
Joe:
That’s a great one. I was thinking I would love my butt to crush cans. Kind of a similar thing, bringing the world together.
Alexis:
One can at a time.
Joe:
How many cans do you have, like, lying around your house?
Alexis:
Not that many.
Joe:
Yeah, well, but imagine if they were crushed.
Alexis:
That’s true. A lot less space.
Joe:
I think I’m getting a sense of it here, but like your character is such a good friend to Hana. What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever had to do for a friend?
Alexis:
Drive to LAX. No I’m kidding. I mean, being girl friends like we are there for each other through thick and thin, in all bodily functions. So I would just say I have a lot of best friends who’ve been through a lot, you know, like when you’re traveling, you might get constipated… there’s just all sorts of stuff that can go wrong. I don’t want to get into too much detail because then my friend would kill me if I tell. But it had to do with traveling and just, you know, eating bad food. But we got through it.
Joe:
Okay, I think you’ve said enough. I think I can fill in the blanks there. Obviously, you know, we talked about technology and and this movie is specifically about gaming technology. Do you have some of these, you know, obsessive or nerdy things, where you’re just really into a particular thing?
Alexis:
Not necessarily in video games, but I’m a complete nerd when it comes to like, science and technology and integration. Love listening to Joe Rogan and, just really getting into the deep dive of like where everything is going. I think that’s really fascinating. So just I kind of like to geek out with those things and also from a spiritual side as well.
Joe:
You have very healthy answers.
Alexis (laughs)
I’ve worked really hard. I’m just kidding.
Joe:
I have one final question. I did some, you know, some, light social media stalking. I’ve studied your photos. You are very good in photos. I am not very good in photos. What advice do you have for me that maybe is just the most basic piece of advice?
Alexis:
It’s hard because the iPhone is kind of a tricky thing to use. I’ve had to teach my friends how to use the phone. Because it’s not that you’re bad at taking photos, it’s that someone probably just hasn’t shot you properly.
Joe:
So I get to blame the photographer?
Alexis:
Yeah. Just be like, “Why this angle?” Angle and lighting. It trips me out because I’m like, I swear I’m a different person depending on, like, the time of the day, the light, it’s all trippy and weird and it’s really hard to get a grasp on yourself.
Joe:
People always ask, what do you do with your hands?
Alexis:
For females, I like to use it as shapes. Like instead of just having your hand straight down, it gives kind of like a straight effect. But if you slightly curve your arm, it’ll give you that more hourglass shape. For men, I always like in motion, like if you’re fixing your, you know, your shirt or if you’re, like, looking for something in your pocket or you’re on your phone or if, like, you’re smoking something I like, I like men in the moment. I don’t like it when they pose.
Joe:
Oh my gosh, I feel like this is probably the most basic for you, but that was so helpful, I can’t wait. Thank you so much. And good luck with the movie. I think it’s really good and I think you’re really good in it too. I don’t know if I told you that, but you’re very good.
Alexis:
Thank you. It was really fun to play. You know, her personality similar to mine. So I could just go all the way through with it.
Joe:
I’m getting that sense.
Alexis:
I was like: sarcasm, yay.
We both laughed and said goodbye. It was nice.
See Alexis in Latency June 14.
