Jodie Turner-Smith steps into Disney’s high-tech universe as Athena, the formidable second-in-command to Ares in the highly anticipated sci-fi adventure TRON: Ares. Designed by Julian Dillinger and the Dillinger Corporation, Athena is a precision-built program: fearless, calculating, and relentlessly committed to carrying out every directive. With her unmatched combat skills and unwavering focus, she’s almost impossible to stop.
For Turner-Smith, embodying a character of such power, and complexity, was irresistible. “Athena is hardcore and absolutely driven, which is thrilling to play,” she shares. “She begins as a perfect super-soldier, but there’s a flicker of rebellion. These Programs are created and re-created, experiencing death, pain, and war. That cycle starts to shift something inside her.”
The actor reveals that Athena’s arc explores the tension between order and unpredictability. “I love when a character represents chaos,” she says. “Athena struggles to understand nuance, and that internal conflict fuels her journey.”
While the film follows Ares as he grapples with humanity, Athena moves in the opposite direction. “She’s absolute,” Turner-Smith explains. “Her loyalty to the mission is so intense that she may even override her programmer. That’s what makes her both dangerous and fascinating.”
Of course, embodying a digital warrior came with physical demands. With a laugh, she adds, “Wearing those suits is no easy feat. I applaud everyone who managed it, we all earned our stripes.”
TRON: Ares also stars Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, and the legendary Jeff Bridges. The film electrifies Indian theatres on 10 October 2025, releasing in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.
