‘Reflections from Cannes Lions 2025 on storytelling, emotion, and what AI will never replicate‘
The first hours of Cannes Lions 2025 were enough to signal that one conversation, in particular, might linger long after the festival ends. Not because of flashy numbers or jaw-dropping spectacles, but because of how deeply it resonated with everyone inside the Debussy Theatre.
Dan Fogelman and Sterling K. Brown didn’t come to promote a show, impress a crowd, or perform a narrative. They came to tell the truth behind the stories that shaped pop culture — and that kind of truth can only come from those who’ve lived it.
Stories That Hurt and Heal
Dan, the creator behind This Is Us, Only Murders in the Building, and now Paradise, shared the stage with Sterling, both lead actor and executive producer. Their conversation unfolded around themes like emotion, partnership, humanity, and the beauty that’s born from pain.
Dan revealed that even in the darkest times of his life, he would think to himself, “This is going to become a scene.” And it did. Those moments turned into scenes that made millions cry in their living rooms. They became part of our shared emotional landscape — collective memory in its rawest form.
Art, Leadership, and Creating a Safe Space
Sterling spoke not only as an actor but as a leader. He emphasized the importance of his role in ensuring everyone on set feels at home. “Because it’s not just about making art,” he said, “it’s about creating an environment.” That’s what Paradise has become: a new home for those who love powerful storytelling.
Together, they navigated topics that hit close to home:
- The anxiety of living in an era of instant spoilers
- The challenge of telling a story so well that no one wants to skip a second
- The thrill of delivering a twist that makes a room scream
But perhaps the most stirring moment came when Dan was asked about artificial intelligence.
What AI Can’t Feel
“I wrote Paradise after losing my mother,” Dan said. “Some scenes were born from a pain that tore through me while I was still alive. A robot can predict, but it can’t lose a mother. It can calculate, but it can’t ask for forgiveness.”
There was a pause — the kind that hangs heavy in a room when truth has been spoken. You could feel it: the collective understanding that while technology may evolve, there are things only the human soul can translate.
A Rare Moment
As we walked out of the theater, it was clear we had witnessed something rare. Something that couldn’t be summarized in metrics or trends. Something that will stay with us.
And maybe, when the festival comes to a close, we’ll look back and realize: it was in that room that we heard what only a human can feel — and tell.
