Paul Schrader says he used AI actors for his film Three Guns At Dawn because, he claims, Black actors refused to play characters in a movie "where there are no good Black people." Schrader explained his decision in interviews, arguing that casting difficulties and objections to the material led him to turn to AI-generated performers to realize his vision. The director's comments sparked controversy about representation, ethics of AI in performance, and how filmmakers handle racially sensitive material. Critics and industry voices questioned both the claim that actors uniformly rejected the roles and the implications of using synthetic actors to circumvent casting concerns. The debate touches on broader issues: the responsibilities of storytellers when portraying marginalized communities, consent and compensation for AI likenesses, and the future of acting work as generative technology advances.