Tatiana Maslany on the taboo of porn in Apple TV series ‘Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed’

TORONTO –  

Scam culture takes centre stage in Tatiana Maslany’s new series “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed.” 

It’s an issue she thinks audiences can relate to, as the trappings of online fraud become harder to avoid, from romance scams to banking hacks. 

The Regina-born star said images and video are often not real, doctored or “created by an algorithm” and it’s hard to distinguish what is true and what isn’t.

“It’s caused I think a lot distrust of the things that you’re seeing,” Maslany said in an interview from Los Angeles.

The Canadian actress said she wants more support for journalists to fact check and counter fake images and fabricated stories that are created using AI.

“This brings me to independent journalism, (which) to me, is like a very important thing that we all like, support and help to stay alive because it feels like that’s where you can actually find truth and you can actually hear what’s happening or get to know what’s actually going on.”

In Maslany’s Apple TV series “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed,” her character, Paula, is duped over the phone with voice-altering disguised audio. Criminals have used this technique for years, but it has now become even more prevalent with AI being able to clone a person’s voice.

A Hollywood Reporter story published last year showed how scammers used AI versions of celebrity voices including Keanu Reeves and Kevin Costner to trick people into sending them thousands of dollars in bitcoin.

But replicating the voices of Hollywood’s biggest stars isn’t the only concern. Deepfakes of actors continue to be spread online. And while the union representing media professionals, SAG-AFTRA, has imposed a mandatory consent and payment for any use of a person’s digital replica, this has not stopped the spread of illegal digital clones.

As unions continue to push for protections across Hollywood, Maslany said she doesn’t believe AI can replace her craft.

“I don’t think that AI will ever replicate what a real performance is or the nuance or the surprise of things that an actor can bring,” Maslany said in an interview from Los Angeles.

The outspoken star, known for her Emmy-winning role on “Orphan Black” and the Marvel series “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” said she is also “entirely against” the world’s shift toward AI.

“It’s so deeply destructive to our climate. It’s so deeply destructive to neighbourhoods and to ecosystems and to the world and to our brains and to, like it’s just, there’s nothing good about it.”

“Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed” includes “New Girl” star Jake Johnson playing Maslany’s ex-husband and “White Lotus” actor Murray Bartlett, who Maslany said she was “completely blown away by.”

The 10-part series will start streaming May 20 on Apple TV and promises to unfold as a dark comedy filled with murder, blackmail and a storyline about attaining pleasure from pornography. 

Maslany portrays a lonely mother going through a custody battle, and her character is in a relationship with a “cam boy,” or a sex worker she communicates with online for comfort and connection.

“I think that the stigma, that I notice, and I feel like it’s sort of played with a little bit in this show, is the stigma around women enjoying it.”

In the show when Maslany’s character mentions the idea of porn to her colleagues at work, they are a bit taken back by the confession. She said their judgment “implies maybe she’s not a good enough mother.”

“Somehow it’s like integrally destructive to who she is at her core and that I find really interesting, that kind of like, the taboo in that way, in that regard.”

Embodying a character like Paula, who is dealing with a lot of drama in her life, while also trying not to be murdered, was certainly something Maslany hasn’t dealt with. But she said that type of character is better for her as an actor.

“When you’re reaching for that thing to try to understand them, or why they might do something — it’s very fun, deepening work.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 19, 2026.