Tilly Norwood, a name that didn’t exist until this year, has become a flashpoint in Hollywood’s ongoing debate about technology, artistry, and the future of acting. She’s not a rising starlet or a breakout performer from an indie film—she’s a hyper-realistic AI-generated actress, crafted by the UK-based production studio Particle6 and its AI division, Xicoia. Since her public debut in July 2025 with the comedy sketch "AI Commissioner," Norwood has sparked excitement, skepticism, and outright alarm among actors, unions, and creatives worldwide.
Norwood’s creator, Eline Van der Velden, is no stranger to the entertainment industry. Born in Curacao and trained in both drama and physics, Van der Velden boasts an eclectic résumé: she’s an award-winning actress, comedian, and the founder of Particle6—an AI production company with clients like BBC, Sky, and Mihoyo. Her company has racked up accolades, including the Innovate UK Creative Catalyst Grant and the BFI Global Screenfund International Expansion Grant, and is known for blending scientific creativity with cutting-edge data analysis and artificial intelligence (according to BollywoodShaadis).
The process of bringing Tilly Norwood to life was anything but simple. It involved image-generation tools, 3D facial modeling, advanced animation systems, and AI-driven voice software. Over 2,000 iterations were made before Van der Velden and her team landed on Norwood’s final look and personality—a painstaking process aimed at achieving authenticity. Van der Velden explained that "there were 2,000 iterations around Norwood's personality till they found that authenticity is the best trait for her." The end result? An AI actress with a "girl next door" charm and a rapidly growing social media following, thanks to AI-generated portraits and behind-the-scenes-style images released even before her official on-screen debut.
But Norwood’s arrival hasn’t just been a technical milestone—it’s also become a lightning rod for controversy. Many in Hollywood, including prominent actors and the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), have voiced deep concerns about what AI performers mean for the industry’s future. Emily Blunt, for instance, didn’t mince words: "Good Lord, we're screwed," she said, urging casting agents not to "take away the human connection." The union’s official stance was equally clear. In a statement, SAG-AFTRA asserted, "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. Creativity is, and should remain, human-centered. The union is opposed to the replacement of human performers by synthetics."
Sean Astin, president of SAG-AFTRA, has been outspoken as well. "Avatar and character seem like fair labels. Actress, not so much. She—she? It?—simply will not replace our people," he said, according to CBS News. For the union, the rise of AI-generated talent like Norwood is part of a much larger battle over intellectual property and fair compensation—a fight that was front and center during the 2023 Hollywood strike. Astin emphasized, "AI protections were a major point of contention in the 2023 strike, and safeguarding a performer's name, image, and likeness from being harvested without compensation is a top priority going forward."
The anxiety isn’t just about jobs, though. Critics argue that AI-generated characters could reinforce unrealistic beauty standards and offer a sanitized, controlled version of femininity. Norwood’s debut has already drawn scrutiny for her "stiff movements and unnatural expressions," with some viewers experiencing what’s known as the "uncanny valley" effect, where digital humans appear almost—but not quite—real, creating an unsettling feeling. These concerns are amplified by the fact that AI performers are often trained on data inspired by real actors, who may not be credited or compensated for their contributions.
Van der Velden, for her part, insists that Norwood isn’t designed to replace living, breathing actors. Instead, she frames her creation as a new "paintbrush" for filmmakers—a tool that can open up fresh creative possibilities without taking away from the craft or joy of human performance. "I see AI not as a replacement for people, but as a new tool—a new paintbrush. Just as animation, puppetry, or CGI opened fresh possibilities without taking away from live acting, AI offers another way to imagine and build stories. I'm an actor myself, and nothing—certainly not an AI character—can take away the craft or joy of human performance," Van der Velden stated, according to BollywoodShaadis.
Despite the backlash, Van der Velden’s ambitions for Norwood are sky-high. In an interview with Broadcast International, she said, "We want Tilly to be the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman, that's the aim of what we're doing." However, she clarified that Tilly is "not meant to take real acting jobs in the traditional film and TV industry. She's meant to stay in her own AI genre, and that's where we want her to stay." Van der Velden has even declined offers for Norwood to appear in films alongside real actors, drawing a clear line between experimentation and replacement.
Yet, the industry’s fascination with AI isn’t limited to Norwood. AI-generated scenes have already appeared in TV series like Amazon’s "House of David," and an AI model recently starred in a Vogue magazine ad. For producers and executives, the allure is clear: AI can cut production costs by as much as 50%, speed up content creation, and allow for near-limitless creative iteration. Kevin Reilly, former entertainment executive and now CEO of Kartel.ai, described AI as "the most transformative thing that's happened maybe in the history of Man." He acknowledged the risks but argued, "Everything comes with a downside. But that is not the reason to just categorically be fearful of this."
Still, the debate rages on. Is AI a friend or a foe to the entertainment industry? For some, it’s an exciting new tool that can expand the boundaries of storytelling. For others, it’s a threat to livelihoods, artistry, and the very soul of performance. As Van der Velden put it, "This tech is here. It's not gonna go anywhere. How can we use it as a force for good?" For Astin and many of his peers, the answer is to surf the wave, not be swept away by it.
With Particle6 planning to create up to 40 more AI actors to form a "digital talent universe," the conversation is far from over. Tilly Norwood stands at the intersection of art and algorithm, a symbol of both the promise and peril that technology brings to Hollywood. As the industry grapples with these changes, one thing is clear: the story of AI and entertainment is just getting started.
