Could Tilly Norwood become Hollywood’s shiniest new star?
Maybe – but there’s just one catch: she’s not real. She’s an AI creation.
Her launch onto the Hollywood scene has sent actors into a spin, with Emily Blunt telling Variety that it was a “really scary” development.
“Does it disappoint me? I don’t know how to quite answer it, other than to say how terrifying this is,” Blunt said.
“No, are you serious? That’s an AI? Good Lord, we’re screwed. That is really, really scary, Come on, agencies, don’t do that. Please stop. Please stop taking away our human connection.”
Natasha Lyonne, star of Russian Doll and Orange is the New Black, said AI creations like Tilly Norwood were “deeply misguided and totally disturbed”.
“Not the way. Not the vibe,” Lyonne said.
Tilly Norwood was launched on social media earlier this year, and is the creation of Eline Van der Velden, CEO of European AI production studio Particle6.
Recently, the Instagram account for Norwood posted some faux screen tests, writing: “Had such a blast filming some screen tests recently ✨ Every day feels like a step closer to the big screen.
“Can’t wait to share more with you all soon… what role do you see me in?”
The backlash from the top echelons of Hollywood has been swift. Actors union SAG-AFTRA released a statement, making clear that Tilly Norwood is not an actor.
“SAG-AFTRA believes creativity is, and should remain, human-centered. The union is opposed to the replacement of human performers by synthetics,” the union said in a statement.
“To be clear, “Tilly Norwood” is not an actor, it’s a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers — without permission or compensation.
“It has no life experience to draw from, no emotion and, from what we’ve seen, audiences aren’t interested in watching computer-generated content untethered from the human experience. It doesn’t solve any “problem” — it creates the problem of using stolen performances to put actors out of work, jeopardizing performer livelihoods and devaluing human artistry.”
Eline Van der Velden shared a message on Instagram, insisting Tilly Norwood “is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work – a piece of art.”
“Like many forms Of art before her, she sparks conversation, and that in itself shows
the power of creativity,” she said.
Van der Velden went on to say AI was not a replacement for people and instead compared it to animation, puppetry and CGI.
“I’m an actor myself, and nothing – certainly not an Al character – can take away the craft or joy of human performance.”
The AI creation is the latest hurdle Hollywood faces in the age of AI, and we’ll soon see many more AI ‘actors’ on the scene. For actors looking for their next big role, it’s a scary prospect.