Someone’s got to go, either the clone or the original.
That’s the rub in “Dual,” a new film in which a young woman who, after a brush with imminent mortality, is told she’ll likely have a long, healthy life. That is, if she can defeat the clone she commissioned to keep loved ones from having to mourn her.
Karen Gillan, who plays protagonist Sarah and her double, loves the premise of the film, which opened Friday.
“It was one of the more unique scripts I’ve ever come across in my career so far. And I think that was largely due to the way it was written. Like the style of dialogue is so unique to Riley Stearns, the writer and director,” Scottish actress Gillan, 34, told the Daily News.
Gillan is best known for playing Nebula in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Avengers” franchises, so she is used to fantastic premises.
Stearns’ films include 2019′s “The Art of Self Defense.” His brand of storytelling was less of a surprise to Aaron Paul, a friend of the writer-director who plays Sarah’s combat trainer, Trent.
“Reading his scripts just reminds me of him, of who he is as a person,” the Emmy winner, 42, told The News. “He does just have such a deadpan sort of sensibility about him, which was so interesting. I’ve never done anything like it before. So it was a bit of a challenge, but a fun one.”
While his beloved “Breaking Bad” character, Jesse Pinkman, might draw in loyal fans, Paul pointed to some key differences between the two.
“I don’t say ‘b--ch’ a lot,” Paul said of playing Trent. “I think he’s just such a lovable guy. He lives and breathes combat. I think he most likely sleeps in his training studio.”
As with most sci-fi concerning clones — and often, artificial intelligence — “Dual” reignites the philosophical debate about what makes a being sentient. As Sarah Double points out toward the end of the film, she’s developed her own likes and dislikes, irrespective of the human she was created to mirror.
Gillan, who’s also known for roles in “Doctor Who” and the “Jumanji” franchise, said the divergent personalities of the original and the clone show “a lot of who you are is informed by your situations and circumstances.”
Her co-star sees a scenario like the film playing out someday.
Noting that “cloning is weird” — especially the “very strange” practice of cloning one’s pets — Paul does get the sinking feeling “there’s a big possibility that it’s going to happen in the future.
“I hope I never have to really think about” the moral implications, he said.
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