Jennifer Lopez teams up with an AI-powered mech suit in Atlas, and it took an unexpected voice actor to bring this character to life. The 2024 Netflix movie is set in a future in which artificial intelligence has begun a violent campaign against humanity, and Lopez’s titular Atlas must team up with one of their fellows to save her species. It’s a survival meets buddy-cop sci-fi adventure, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the right voice for Smith, Atlas‘ lovable robot companion.

Netflix’s Atlas features multiple types of artificial intelligence characters. The movie’s villain, Harlan, is played by Simu Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) and looks more or less like a regular human. On the other hand, Smith was only a disembodied voice and a series of holographic screens, which Lopez’s character interacted with from within a mech suit. The AI didn’t have a typical face and body, but he was far more than just a glorified Amazon Alexa. Smith was deeply emotive, playful, and, in all, life-like in Atlas, and this is all thanks to the work of Gregory James Cohan.

Gregory James Cohan Voices Smith In Atlas

Cohan Is Best Known For The Horror Comedy The VelociPastor

Actor Gregory James Cohen lent his voice to Smith in Atlas. Cohen’s career has taken him through movies, television, and video games, though Lopez’s Netflix sci-fi is his most significant role yet. He has credits in TV shows like Dynasty, Blue Bloods, and NCIS: Los Angeles, movies including A Little Water (2019), The American Society of Magical Negroes (2024), and The VelociPastor (2017), and his voice may be familiar from playing various NPCs in the video game Red Dead Redemption II.

According to Netflix, Cohen was initially hired as a temporary stand-in for Smith, meant only to read opposite Lopez until a permanent actor was hired. However, the more he worked with his costar, the more director Brad Peyton knew that he was perfect for the part. This “happy coincidence” led to Cohen gaining far more recognition, as well as a couple of other roles in Netflix’s Atlas.

Gregory James Cohan Had 3 Roles In Netflix’s Atlas

Cohan’s Role As Smith Expanded Into 2 Additional Roles

Along with voicing the lovable AI buddy in the Lopez movie, Cohen played two additional roles. The actor shared that he celebrated his 40th birthday on the set of Atlas and that, as a birthday surprise, Peyton gave him an onscreen role and an additional voice role in the film. So, those paying attention can hear Cohen’s voice as one of ICN’s soldiers and spot the actor piloting Colonel Banks’ ship. While his presence in Atlas might have been a happy accident, Cohen certainly brought something special to the role, and the sci-fi wouldn’t have been the same without him.