Hollywood is fuming over a new AI actress

Question

After an artificial intelligence-generated “actress” drew intense backlash from human actors, the character’s maker says it’s not meant to replace people. But many in Hollywood aren’t buying it.

It’s just the latest movie-industry feud over a technology that many creatives worry has stolen their work and could eventually replace them.

“Tilly Norwood” looks like a young woman with wavy brown hair and clear skin who, since February, has posted on Instagram much like any other Gen Z influencer. She’s pursuing an acting career — and recently posted about doing “screen tests” in hopes of landing a gig. But Tilly Norwood isn’t a real person, she’s AI-generated, created by Eline Van Der Velden, founder of AI startup Particle6, which says it creates “digital content” for film and TV.

In a recent post, AI Tilly bragged that “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,” along with the hashtag #AIActress.

Answer 1

This is actually true, there were multiple tweets in response to this claim on X by a series of actors, it was also commented on by CNN and a handful of other notable sources and journalists. It was actually created by the company Xicoia which is an AI division of Particle6. There work was unveiled at a Zurich film festival. Which is where it caught tons of attention from Hollywood and actors. 

Sources that commented on this claim very a lot from CNN, WRAL, WCOV, aicomissions.org, and many more. They all center back to CNN mains headline or quote it in some way. here are some quotes I found that further claim this new AI "Actress" is actually a real thing and not some social prank. 

"In a recent post, AI Tilly bragged that “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,” along with the hashtag #AIActress." -New York (CNN)

This was the main headliner in CNNs post, now let's focus on the X replies from real Hollywood actors

"“Wow … no thanks,” Game of Thrones actor Sophie Turner said in one comment." (CNN)

“This is incredibly thoughtless and frankly disturbing,” wrote actor Cameron Cowperthwaite, who appeared in “Shameless” and “American Horror Story.” “I hope this backfires in every way humanly and well… Non humanly possible.” (CNN)

Ralph Ineson, who acted in “Nosferatu” and other films, responded to news of the project with a concise X post: “F**k off.”

However, the creator's response on Tillies Instagram told everyone that Shes not meant to replace human actors. But by the way Shes presented on the media and her first insta post

 "In a recent post, AI Tilly bragged that “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,” along with the hashtag #AIActress." (CNN)

So, by that we can see it seems like "replacement" was in the grand scheme and first introduction. 

in conclusion we can see this is true from the mass coverage on the topic and the inclusion of real tweet involved in the matter as well as an Instagram account made for tilly under the user @tillynorwood. 

this was also covered by TechCrunch and Complex, along with Yahoo even adding some information to the pool. 

(resources to check for more information)

Duffy, Clare. “Hollywood Is Fuming over a New “AI Actress.”” CNN, 30 Sept. 2025, www.cnn.com/2025/09/30/tech/hollywood-ai-actor-backlash.

‌Silberling, Amanda. “Hollywood Is Not Taking Kindly to the AI-Generated Actress Tilly Norwood | TechCrunch.” TechCrunch, Oct. 2025, techcrunch.com/2025/10/01/hollywood-is-not-taking-kindly-to-the-ai-generated-actress-tilly-norwood/. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.

‌Mcbride, Jessica. “Tilly Norwood Is an “AI Actress” — Emily Blunt Says She’s “Terrifying.”” Complex, 30 Sept. 2025, www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/jessica-mcbride/tilly-norwood-ai-actress-with-instagram-page-emily-blunt-terrifying. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.

‌Reilly, Kaitlin. “Who Is Tilly Norwood? Why This AI Actress Is Sparking Backlash from Real Hollywood Stars.” Yahoo Entertainment, 30 Sept. 2025, www.yahoo.com/entertainment/article/who-is-tilly-norwood-why-this-ai-actress-is-sparking-backlash-from-real-hollywood-stars-210608768.html. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.

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Comments

I consider X to be a reliable opinion. I say this because posts are opinionated statements or questions. So by using X I gathered information of people's opinions and or statements on the matter that hit home to their situation (of being notable actors)

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I liked that you based your response claim on a broad idea and provided multiple sources to back up your reasoning. The use of CNN quotes from famous actors themselves on the subject added a level of credibility to your response that was very educational and well-worded. I wonder if you could have found a source quoting the actual creators of Tilly and what their true intentions with her were, though. That would have gone the extra mile to cover all bases and give all aspects of opinions on the subject

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You obviously did your research and gathered quotes from a variety of reliable sources to make this really thorough. I would wonder if Tilly's extravagant opening was intended to create controversy and go viral, or if she was actually intended to "replace" actors.  Although the developers state that she is not intended to take the place of anyone, her initial message undoubtedly feeds that anxiety.

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I agree with you, I think the whole AI actress is a little freaky. I appreciate how you used quotes from real actors because it helped to gain a sense of their emotions toward this topic. I could understand why so many actors are upset, and it could honestly feel like they have the possibility of being replaced. Do you think that there's a possible way for real actors and AI actors to work together without being competitive?

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This is a great answer, your fact-checking is thorough, clearly presenting your claim and supporting it with credible source outlets. I agree that AI actress’s feels pretty unsettling. I really appreciate how you included quotes from actual actors, as it provided a grasp of their feelings on the issue. It’s easy to see why many actors are upset about this topic, I wonder how privacy for celebrities will change if they are AI themselves.

Answer 2

This is actually true after scouring the internet and multiple sources, including BBC, CNN, ABC News, and other news outlets, which state that the AI actress Tilly Norwood has sparked outrage among the acting community in Hollywood. ABC News states that Famous Hollywood actor Emily Blunt, in a Variety interview, says, "That is really, really scary. Come on, agencies, don't do that. Please stop," implying how scary and detrimental this could be for the acting community. CNN also gives more examples of actors infuriated with the usage of AI, for example, "Ralph Ineson, who acted in “Nosferatu” and other films, responded to news of the project with a concise X post : “F**k off.” All these articles show us how infuriated the Hollywood acting community is with the new implementation of AI acting. 

Answer 3

This is true. One can read the CNN article you provided and clearly see that some of Hollywood’s A-listers have spoken out against this new AI actress, “Tilly”, and would most likely agree with actor Cameron Cowperthwaite, who wrote on X that this creation, “...incredibly thoughtless and frankly disturbing…” Even when the creator of this new AI actress, Eline Van Der Velden, stated “To those who have expressed anger over the creation of our AI character Tilly Norwood: she is not a replacement for a human being…” numerous other actors and actresses still consider “Tilly” a generated creation that compiles stolen aspects of their real-life skill, work, effort, and creativity.

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or “SAG-AFTRA”, is an American labor union for actors, broadcasters, and other media professionals who also put out a statement. Their team writes, “...[Tilly is] generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers — without permission or compensation…it creates the problem of using stolen performances to put actors out of work, jeopardizing performer livelihoods and devaluing human artistry.” 

Although slightly unlike Cowperthwaite, in an MSNBC article, it’s stated that Whoopi Goldberg, one of the few actors with EGOT status (has won at least one Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award), believes, “It’s a little bit of an unfair advantage. But you know what? Bring it on. Because you can always tell them from us.”

All in all, the most common and recent reactions from Hollywood toward the AI generation of “Tilly Norwood” have been negative and condemn agencies that support it. 

Here are a couple more sources that cover this issue:

1. https://variety.com/2025/film/news/gersh-ai-actress-tilly-norwood-representation-1236534829/

2. https://www.npr.org/2025/09/30/nx-s1-5558119/tily-norwood-ai-hollywood

Comments

I like how on top of the sources you used to support your claim that this is true you added two extra ones at the end to further your point! On top of that, the sources you used are very credible and I like how you also include direct quotes from actors and how they feel about this new competitor in the acting world.

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Great factcheck! I like how you quoted multiple different people/sources to support the information. I also appreciate how you used a mix of direct quotes from actors as well as citing articles that discuss this topic.

Answer 4

When I looked into the claim about the AI-generated “actress” Tilly Norwood and whether she’s meant to replace real actors, the first thing I did was fact checked this story. It was published by CNN, which is a well-known and generally reliable news outlet. CNN reporters usually talk to real people involved and cite their sources, so the information tends to be trustworthy. In this case, they interviewed Eline Van Der Velden, who’s the founder of Particle6, the company that created Tilly. She said that Tilly isn’t meant to replace human actors, but instead to show what AI can do creatively in film and media. That sounds good on paper, but it’s worth remembering that Van Der Velden runs the company making money off this technology, so of course she’d want to present it in a positive light. As she told The Independent, “Tilly is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work.” This quote shows how she’s framing the project as an artistic experiment rather than a threat, but many in the industry see it differently.

To get a better picture, I looked into other news outlets like BBC and Variety, which have covered similar stories about AI in Hollywood. Variety spoke with members of the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA, who said they’re worried about AI copying actors’ voices, faces, and performances without permission or pay. One article even quoted SAG-AFTRA president Sean Astin, who said the union “will address AI actress Tilly Norwood with agents and continue the fight for AI compensation.” Variety also published an opinion piece arguing that calling a computer program an “actress” is misleading, since “AI lacks the lived experience, emotion, and humanity that define performance.” The BBC had these same concerns, reporting that many in Hollywood fear AI tools like Tilly could “blur the lines between real and synthetic talent,” leading to fewer opportunities for working actors. When you trace everything back to where it started, it all comes from Van Der Velden and Particle 6's own social media posts and promotional statements. So while CNN and others are reporting the story fairly, it’s clear that the company behind Tilly has a major incentive to make the technology sound exciting and harmless. In reality, the growing pushback from actors and unions shows that this “AI actress” represents more than just creativity, it’s a sign of how the entertainment industry is struggling to protect real peoples jobs and livelyhoods in this day and age. 

Answer 5

A Dutch creative company has announced the creation of an "AI" actor named Tilly Norwood. This recent announcement has caused backlash from the public, and the Hollywood actors union has publicly condemned this attempt to incorporate AI actors in movies. Tilly Norwood has their own social media pages, filled with headshots and filming tests. The AI actors creators announced on her Instagram "I may be AI, but I'm feeling very real emotions right now," and even showed the actors brewing exctitement by saying, "I am so excited for what's coming next!"

The arguement against this new idea is that no one wants to watch an actor in a movie who has no actual emotional experiences, or life experience in general to further their acting talent. That it is also against the ideas of creative art states the actors union, "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.

Hollywood stars outraged over 'AI actor' Tilly Norwood

Comments

While this is a good explanation, it would be additionally helpful if you linked and quoted more sources explaining Hollywoods reaction to the AI actress instead of merely stating that she does exist. I'm interested in knowing what all the sources you used for your explanation are, or if it's just the one at the bottom?