Hollywood Reacts to AI Actor Tilly Norwood: Stars Speak Out

Mon Oct 20 2025 19:43:22 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Stars like Emily Blunt and Whoopi Goldberg express concerns over Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated entity in the entertainment industry. The backlash raises questions about the future of acting and AI's role in creativity.

Tilly Norwood, an AI 'actor', is sparking outrage among Hollywood stars including Emily Blunt and Natasha Lyonne. The Screen Actors Guild has condemned the AI as a threat to real actors, emphasizing that it lacks genuine emotions and life experience. As the AI continues to gain traction, the industry faces a pivotal moment in defining the roles of technology and humanity in entertainment.

Hollywood is not rolling out the red carpet for Tilly Norwood – an 'AI actor' that has been causing a stir after its Dutch creators said the synthetic performer is in talks with talent agencies.

Norwood could be mistaken for a young, aspiring actress when one glances at its social media. The brunette poses for photos and showcases a fully AI-generated comedy sketch, where it is described as having 'girl next door vibes.'

I may be AI, but I'm feeling very real emotions right now, Tilly's creators wrote on her page. I am so excited for what's coming next!

Hollywood's powerful actors union has condemned the creation, along with A-list stars like Emily Blunt, Natasha Lyonne and Whoopi Goldberg.

Norwood is not an actor, it's a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or SAG-AFTRA, said in a statement.

AI has been a hotly contested technology in Hollywood and was a key sticking point during labor strikes that shut down the industry two years ago as writers and actors demanded protections from the technology. The union warned that using Norwood in projects could jeopardize hard-won contractual protections from the recent strike.

Actress Natasha Lyonne has suggested a boycott against any talent agency that engages with Tilly, labeling it deeply misguided & totally disturbed. Amy Blunt also expressed her fears, stating, That's an AI? Good Lord, we're screwed. That is really, really scary, Come on, agencies, don't do that. Please stop taking away our human connection.

The creator of Tilly Norwood, Eline Van der Velden, defended her work, saying it is a form of artistic creation rather than a replacement for human performers. However, the backlash indicates a critical debate over the use of AI in the arts and potential implications for the future of acting.