The creator of Tilly Norwood – an artificial intelligence-generated “actress” now attracting interest from Hollywood talent agencies – is pushing back against criticism that her character threatens human performers.
Dutch actor and entrepreneur Eline Van der Velden stressed that Norwood was never meant to take the place of real people.
“She is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work – a piece of art,” Van der Velden wrote on Instagram on Sunday, Sept. 28. “Like many forms of art before her, she sparks conversation, and that in itself shows the power of creativity.”
Her remarks came after news broke at the Zurich Film Festival’s Zurich Summit that agencies were vying to represent the AI character developed by Van der Velden’s company Particle6 and pitched as “the next Scarlett Johansson.”
The announcement set off swift backlash across the industry, with several actors voicing frustration.
“Hope all actors repped by the agent that does this, drop their a$$,” Melissa Barrera, star of “In the Heights” and “Scream,” wrote on Instagram. “How gross, read the room.”
Mara Wilson, known for “Matilda,” added: “And what about the hundreds of living young women whose faces were composited together to make her? You couldn’t hire any of them?”
On “The View,” Whoopi Goldberg said audiences will be able to spot the difference.
“The problem with this, in my humble opinion, is that you are suddenly up against something that’s been generated with 5,000 other actors,” Goldberg said Monday, Sept. 29. “It’s got Bette Davis’ attitude, it’s got Humphrey Bogart’s lips… And so it’s a little bit of an unfair advantage. But you know what? Bring it on. You can always tell them from us. We move differently, our faces move differently, our bodies move differently.”
Other actors, including Kiersey Clemons, Toni Collette and Lukas Gage, joined the chorus of criticism, with some calling for boycotts of any agency that signs Norwood.
The creator of Tilly Norwood – an artificial intelligence-generated “actress” now attracting interest from Hollywood talent agencies – is pushing back against criticism that her character threatens human performers. (Xicoia/Particle6)
Norwood is the first creation from Xicoia, a new AI talent studio spun off from Particle6. The venture aims to develop “hyperreal digital stars” for use across film, television, social media and interactive fan platforms.
Van der Velden has likened AI to “a new paintbrush,” a tool that can expand creative possibilities without diminishing live performance.
“Just as animation, puppetry, or CGI opened fresh possibilities without taking away from live acting, AI offers another way to imagine and build stories,” she wrote.
Despite the uproar, Van der Velden said Hollywood studios are showing strong interest. Norwood’s agency representation, she added, will be announced in the coming months.
“Creating Tilly has been, for me, an act of imagination and craftsmanship,” she said, “not unlike drawing a character, writing a role or shaping a performance.”
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