AI Actress Tilly Norwood: Hollywood’s New Star or New Tragedy?

Hollywood is currently buzzing with a strange name—Tilly Norwood. But there is no real person behind the name.

Tilly is actually an actress created by artificial intelligence (AI), created by UK-based production company Particle6. The company’s founder and actress Eline Van Der Vekden says Tilly was created as a “mixture of imagination and craftsmanship,” just like someone would write or draw a character.

Although not a real person, an unusual frenzy has been created around her. At the Zurich Film Festival, 25 September to 5 October, 2025, Velden casually announced that “Tilly Norwood” would soon sign a contract with a major agency.

This set off a fierce reaction—some were fascinated, some were horrified, and some saw it as a dangerous horizon for the future.

Industry Not Afraid: Actors Angry, Producers Divided

The biggest storm of controversy has erupted in the acting world around Tilly Norwood. Actresses Emily Blunt, Whoopi Goldberg, and Melissa Barrere have openly expressed their anger. According to them, such characters created by AI are devaluing human creativity and could endanger the livelihoods of thousands of artists in the future.

Hollywood actors’ union SAG-AFTRA said in a statement, “Creativity should be human-centered. No computer program can replace human emotions, experiences, or souls.”

They complained that the work and expressions of countless real actors were used to create Tilly—without permission or compensation.

On the other hand, some producers believe that this is a new chapter in the combination of art and technology. According to them, “AI is a new brush for creation—which can increase the speed and imagination of storytelling.”

A New Moral Controversy

The creation of Tilly Norwood now raises the question: Is real acting possible without human emotion? Russian theatre practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski once said, “To act without using one’s own emotions is to kill the character.”

From that perspective, no matter how perfectly crafted Tilly is, there is no human soul in her—no flaws, no suffering, no raw truth of love.

However, acting coaches and theater experts are thinking that Tilly is a reflection of how we are using technology and where we draw the line at humanity. Some fear that producers may one day prefer “simple, perfect, and obedient” AI actors to real actors.

Human acting vs. machine perfection

As AI technology is rapidly advancing, its limitations are also clear. According to experts, no AI model can yet express emotions, sadness, joy, or empathy like humans. Rather, it creates “perfect” acting—where the beauty of imperfection is absent.

On the other hand, smaller studios or independent producers see it as a new testing ground. “AI is creating a new language of storytelling, but its direction should still be in human hands,” they say.

What is the future of art?

Tilly Norwood may not yet be seen in a leading role in a film, but her presence has sparked a new debate about the limits of art and technology. Some see it as a creative advance in artificial intelligence, while others see it as a sign of the existence of human art.

Watch the video here.

@abcworldnews

Some of Hollywood’s biggest names are sounding the alarm over an AI generated “actor” whose company is reportedly seeking representation. The AI character ‘Tilly Norwood’ is the face of growing backlash and debate over the use of AI. Matt Gutman reports.

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