When audiences tune in to watch Jennifer Lopez team up with an AI companion named Smith in Netflix’s new sci-fi film ‘Atlas,’ they’ll be hearing an unexpectedly familiar voice. Gregory James Cohan, a veteran actor with credits across TV, film, and video games, landed the pivotal voice role of Smith quite accidentally.
Cohan was initially hired as a temporary stand-in, meant to read opposite Lopez until a permanent voice actor could be found. However, as filming progressed, director Brad Peyton recognized Cohan’s perfect embodiment of the deeply emotive, playful, and lifelike AI character. This “happy coincidence” led to Cohan being awarded the role full-time.
While providing the voice of the lovable AI buddy was already a major coup, Cohan’s involvement in ‘Atlas’ didn’t stop there. As a birthday surprise from Peyton, the actor was given two additional roles – an on-screen appearance as a pilot and a voice role as one of the soldiers in the International Coalition of Nations (ICN), the military force seeking to capture the film’s villainous AI, Harlan (Simu Liu).
Despite his relatively low profile before this project, Cohan has an extensive resume including TV shows like ‘Dynasty,’ ‘Blue Bloods,’ and ‘NCIS: Los Angeles,’ as well as voice work in the acclaimed video game ‘Red Dead Redemption II.’ His standout performances in smaller films like the horror comedy ‘The VelociPastor’ likely paved the way for this major breakthrough in the Netflix sci-fi spectacle.
While Cohan’s talent has been a welcome surprise, ‘Atlas’ has also courted controversy. One scene features Lopez’s character Atlas being chastised by an AI mech suit named Zoe for using the wrong pronouns when referring to her. This injection of identity politics into the AI storyline has drawn criticism from some viewers.
Regardless of such debates, Cohan’s multi-faceted contributions have earned him well-deserved recognition and cemented ‘Atlas’ as a potential star-making vehicle for the seasoned actor. As audiences experience Lopez’s adventure to save humanity, they’ll undoubtedly be captivated by the authentic voice work that brings her AI companion to life.