For Ivanna Sakhno, portraying an AI robot in “M3GAN 2.0” was a lesson in being human.

“Something that really moved me about AMELIA is that even though she is artificial intelligence, there’s quite a few human traits about her psychologically,” says Sakhno, describing the appeal of her character in the film.

It’s the morning after the “M3GAN 2.0” movie premiere, and the Ukrainian actress is still fully powered up. Sakhno arrived in New York a day earlier from London, where she’s currently filming the second season of Star Wars series “Ahsoka,” and would head back to set the following day. Before that, she had a day of Zoom press for the film lined up inside a hotel room on Central Park South.

“M3GAN” became a meme-able viral success when the original film premiered in theaters in early 2023. But Sakhno, who describes herself as a “sensitive little creature when it comes to horror films,” wasn’t part of that initial conversation.

“ The whole Megan moment, I do actually vividly remember her becoming a huge part of the culture,” says Sakhno, who watched the popular first film after reading the sequel script and became a quick fan. “It made me really excited for the second one.”

The previous evening’s premiere was Sakhno’s first time watching “M3GAN 2.0” in a theater with the cast and crew, and she had her personal VIPs — three of her best friends and her mother — alongside her. The actress stars in the film as new AI robot AMELIA (aka, “Autonomous Military Engagement Logistics and Infiltration Android”), an enhanced version of the original M3GAN doll-bot. The uncanniness of AMELIA is more pronounced; the character is fully human, portrayed by one human playing a robot, versus the human-robot M3GAN, a chimera of a physical actress, voice actress and CGI.

“It was lots of stillness,” Sakhno says of embodying the robot. “I learned that in that stillness, even though it’s quite precise, there’s a certain confidence and trust that you have to have in your body and in the movement to allow yourself to be so limited, and yet try to express the emotional aspect of it.”

New technology is often villainized, and that’s certainly the case for AMELIA.

“ I think there is a reason behind every villain’s action. And hers to me is actually quite heartbreaking,” Sakhno says of her character. “Even though she’s AI, certain aspects of her are deeply human, and I think some people can resonate with what makes a villain and what drives them to become who they are. That darkness bleeds from a place of hurt.”

Beyond the film’s campy appeal — the original movie captured audiences for the titular character’s killer dance moves and tag lines — the film poses of-the-moment questions around AI usage. 

“There’s a few aspects of it that invite you to take a look at ourselves as a humanity, and also the way that we communicate with one another and also with our children,” says Sakhno, describing the film as fun and non-pretentious, but also a conversation-starter.

As a young kid growing up in Ukraine, Sakhno decided to pursue acting after seeing films like “Amelie” and “Run Lola Run.” “I realized that felt like home to me,” she says.

She moved to Canada via an exchange program when she was a teenager in order to learn English, and shortly before heading back to the Ukraine met the casting director who would help Sakhno connect with the team she’s still working with today.

While she’s starred in several big-budget action films — often as the antagonist — she’s excited to explore roles beyond that, with an eye toward the European film industry.

“ I do feel really grateful to my 13-year-old self,” says the actress, now 27. “ We didn’t have any Ukrainian actors when I was growing up who started in Ukraine and then moved to the States or to the world cinema to work. I remember being so fearful of ‘what if my dreams are too crazy,’ and I’m so grateful that I have gotten to actually follow my gut. And I hope that even at this point in my life, it’s the beginning.”

Currently living in Los Angeles, Sakhno spent several years in New York following the 2018 release of action film “The Spy Who Dumped Me.” She landed in the East Village, inspired by Patti Smith’s book “Just Kids.” In a pinch me moment that would fit the magical world of “Amelie,” Sakhno was preparing to move out of the city when Smith and her daughter ended up touring her East Village rental apartment, and took note of Sakhno’s copy of the book.

“It was a full-circle moment, because she inspired me in many ways to move to New York,” Sakhno says. “And when I was leaving it, she was the one saying goodbye for me.”