Hollywood is fuming over a new ‘AI actress’

Hollywood Reacts to AI-Generated Actress ‘Tilly Norwood’ Amid Backlash Over Creative Replacement Fears

NEW YORK — Hollywood has once again found itself at the crossroads of innovation and controversy with the emergence of an AI-generated “actress” named Tilly Norwood. Created by Eline Van Der Velden, founder of AI startup Particle6, Tilly is a hyper-realistic digital persona who has been posting on Instagram since February, sharing content much like any human Gen Z influencer. From screen tests to action sequences, the character’s creator has framed Tilly as an innovative tool for film and TV content creation, but many in Hollywood remain unconvinced.

Tilly Norwood is depicted as a young woman with wavy brown hair, clear skin, and the look of a rising actress. In one recent post, she boasted: “In 20 seconds I fought monsters, fled explosions, sold you a car, and nearly won an Oscar. All in a day’s work… literally! Find yourself an actress who can do it all,” using the hashtag #AIActress. This statement ignited criticism from both actors and industry professionals who fear AI could supplant human creativity, even as its makers insist that is not the intention.

The backlash was immediate. Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner commented, “Wow … no thanks,” while actor Cameron Cowperthwaite, known for his roles in Shameless and American Horror Story, described the project as “incredibly thoughtless and frankly disturbing,” adding, “I hope this backfires in every way humanly and well… Non humanly possible.” Ralph Ineson, recognized for his work in Nosferatu and other films, simply posted: “F**k off.”

Responding to the criticism, Van Der Velden posted a statement on both her and Tilly’s Instagram accounts clarifying the project’s purpose. “To those who have expressed anger over the creation of our AI character Tilly Norwood: she is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work — a piece of art,” she said. She compared AI characters to animation, puppetry, and CGI, noting that these technologies expanded creative possibilities without eliminating live acting. Van Der Velden further added, “AI characters should be judged as part of their own genre, on their own merits, rather than compared directly to human actors.”

Despite reassurances, actors and other creatives argue that AI-generated content like Tilly Norwood could not exist without exploiting the work of human professionals. Many have raised concerns that AI tools are trained on the creative output of real artists, writers, and performers without consent or compensation, potentially allowing studios and creators to reproduce performances and likenesses without paying human contributors. Actress Mara Wilson, known for Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire, criticized the AI project directly: “You didn’t make this. Hundreds of real workers, real photographers, camera operators, heck, even farmers, made this. You took their work and pretended it was yours.”

The controversy over Tilly Norwood comes amid ongoing tensions between Hollywood and AI technology, which were central to the writers’ and actors’ strikes in 2023. Agreements reached during those strikes included protections around the use of AI by major studios and streaming platforms, but independent creators and startups are not bound by those rules. AI systems trained on publicly available material can still generate work that mimics human actors or existing film scenes, leaving industry professionals concerned about intellectual property and fair compensation.

Major media companies have begun taking legal action to protect their creative assets. Disney and Universal sued AI generator Midjourney in June, alleging the platform illegally trained its system on copyrighted content and produced unauthorized recreations of characters like Bart Simpson and Wall-E. Warner Bros. filed a similar lawsuit against Midjourney earlier this month. These lawsuits reflect a broader effort by studios to prevent AI from infringing on intellectual property rights.

OpenAI has also taken steps to address these concerns. The company recently launched its Sora AI video generator, along with a standalone app, and is alerting talent agencies and studios that the system may incorporate copyrighted material unless rights holders explicitly opt out. Varun Shetty, head of media partnerships at OpenAI, emphasized the company’s collaborative approach, stating, “We’re working with rights holders to understand their preferences for how their content appears across our ecosystem, including Sora.” OpenAI has designed the system to proactively block AI-generated videos in the style of living artists and provide public figures the option to opt out of having their likeness reproduced.

The emergence of Tilly Norwood highlights the ongoing tension between technological innovation and human creativity in Hollywood. While AI promises new storytelling possibilities, the backlash underscores widespread concerns over ethical use, intellectual property, and the role of human actors in an industry increasingly entangled with artificial intelligence. As studios, actors, and AI creators navigate these uncharted waters, the debate over the balance between technological advancement and artistic integrity shows no sign of slowing.

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