Disney Sues Midjourney, AI Tools We’re Scared to Use, and What it’s like to Work on a Tom Cruise Set | Ep 34

Welcome to Episode 34 of the Actor's Guide to the End of the World! This week, the guys talk about why Disney and Universal is suing AI powerhouse Midjourney. It's time to root for Disney this time, and E-Kan and Rían talk about why it's a big deal for creators and the future of AI regulations. They dig into what Midjourney does exactly and the tricky debate about whose at fault if a copyrighted image is created - the user or the tool? Is Midjourney like using other tools like Photoshop? 

E-Kan also opens up about AI tools he's scared to use and why we need to look into the terms of service for these sites. Can we trust anyone? So far, it's unclear.  They discuss the importance of AI regulations and the power of unions which gets them onto Tyler Perry and his tricky relationship with unions in the past. 

And a side tangent- what does it mean when we say someone's intense? Is E-Kan intense?

We then get into a conversation about Tom Cruise, how he's saving the movies, and what makes him, according to us, possibly the best movie star we have today. The dedication he has to working on camera and what actors need to learn from him. E-Kan then shares a story about how he did background on a Tom Cruise film back in the day which thrills Rían. This is a fun one, folks. 

New episodes every Monday, wherever you find your podcasts, including video on YouTube and Substack. Follow us on social media at @actorsguidepodcast!

Disney vs Midjourney Dain Walker post - https://www.instagram.com/p/DK0pmxdTupE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

https://www.wired.com/story/midjourney-generates-videos-of-disney-characters-amid-massive-copyright-lawsuit/

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/11/business/media/disney-universal-midjourney-ai.html

https://blavity.com/entertainment/heres-why-tyler-perry-could-get-in-trouble-with-labor-unions-again-with-new-play-madeas-farewell

 

Hidden Gems: 

The Artist's Way (Julia Cameron) https://www.amazon.com/Artists-Way-25th-Anniversary/dp/0143129252

Magnesium L-Threonate (I'm not a doctor, shocker, please do your research)

 

Time stamps

(2:17) Disney sues Midjourney

(5:37) Who’s at fault?

(10:33) Tyler Perry and Unions

(15:10) We’re scared to use certain AI tools

(20:08) Tom Cruise is saving movies 

(22:40) How well Tom Cruise understands the lens

(25:47) The intensity of Tom Cruise

(30:48) When E-Kan worked on a Tom Cruise movie

(40:09) Hidden Gems