You’ve probably seen actors transform on screen with the help of special effects, but what happens when the actor herself is the effect? Enter Tilly Norwood, a creation that isn’t a who, but a what. She’s a fully AI-generated character causing a real-world uproar, making everyone from Hollywood A-listers to industry unions question the very future of acting. She’s not a person, but she has an Instagram account. She’s never lived a human experience, but her creators hope she’ll become the next Scarlett Johansson. Let’s pull back the curtain on the digital actress who has the entire entertainment industry talking.
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The Digital Debutante: Tilly’s Creation and Controversy
Tilly Norwood is the brainchild of Eline Van der Velden, a Dutch producer and former actor, and her company Particle6. In late September 2025, Van der Velden officially launched Xicoia, an “AI talent studio,” at the Zurich Film Festival, with Tilly as its flagship star.
While her official debut was recent, Tilly’s digital footprint dates back to at least May 2025, with an Instagram account that has since amassed tens of thousands of followers, filled with AI-generated modeling shots, selfies, and even images of her on the couch of The Graham Norton Show. Described as a “petite, doe-eyed brunette” with a British accent, Tilly was created with a bold ambition: her creator stated she wanted Tilly to be “the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman.” The driving force behind this? A staggering claim that using an AI actress like Tilly could slash production costs by up to 90%.
So, what can you actually see Tilly in? Her first and, so far, primary acting credit is a comedy sketch titled “AI Commissioner,” which was released in July 2025. This meta-sketch, which satirizes the future of TV development, was itself created using ten different AI software tools and was written by ChatGPT. The short film features 16 AI-generated characters, but Tilly is the star.
Can’t believe it … my first ever role is live!
I star in AI commissioner, a new comedy sketch that playfully explores the future of TV development produced by the brilliant team at @Particle6P
I am so excited for what’s coming next ! #Tillynorwood #Aiart #Aiactress pic.twitter.com/UowMYwuRVc
— Tilly Norwood (@TillyNorwood) September 28, 2025
The reception to her performance has been… mixed, to say the least. Critics have described the sketch as “relentlessly unfunny,” with “woodenly delivered dialogue.” Some reviewers pointed out technical flaws, like her teeth often “blurring into a single white block” or exaggerated mouth movements that gave one critic “a full-on case of the screaming fantods.” Despite the criticism, the sketch garnered over 700,000 views on YouTube, proving that curiosity is a powerful draw. Beyond this sketch, Tilly has been featured in various mock trailers for sci-fi, horror, and action films, showcasing her (or rather, her programmers’) range.
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Hollywood’s Human Backlash: Why Tilly Riles Up the Industry
The announcement that talent agencies were considering representing a completely synthetic performer sparked immediate and fierce backlash from the human side of Hollywood. The actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, which recently concluded a lengthy strike where AI protections were a central issue, released a blistering statement. They were unequivocal: “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.” The union argued that this synthetic replacement devalues human artistry and jeopardizes performers’ livelihoods.
A-list actors were quick to voice their dismay. Emily Blunt, upon seeing a video of Tilly, called the creation “really, really scary,” pleading, “Please stop taking away our human connection.” Mara Wilson questioned the ethics, asking, “What about the hundreds of living young women whose faces were composited together to make her? You couldn’t hire any of them?” Others, like Melissa Barrera, suggested that actors should boycott any agency reckless enough to sign the AI actress. The backlash also highlighted a troubling undercurrent for many: as one actor noted, it’s “not surprised that the first major ‘AI actor’ is a young woman that they can fully control.”
Emily Blunt says AI “actress” Tilly Norwood is “really scary” and warns Hollywood agencies: “Don’t do that.”
“I don’t know how to [talk about it] other than to say how terrifying this is. Are you serious? That’s an AI? Good Lord, we’re screwed. That is really, really scary, Come… pic.twitter.com/YR9I5LcT4D
— Variety (@Variety) September 29, 2025
In response to the firestorm, creator Eline Van der Velden has tried to reframe the conversation. She insists that Tilly is “not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work—a piece of art.” She compares AI to a new form of animation or a “new paintbrush,” suggesting it should be judged as its own genre rather than in direct competition with human actors.
This has done little to calm the fears of those who see Tilly Norwood not as art, but as the tip of a spear—a harbinger of a future where the magic of human performance is replaced by the cold, cost-effective calculations of an algorithm. The conversation Tilly has sparked is undeniably real, even if she is not.
