AI Actress Tilly Norwood Faces Backlash From Hollywood as Creator Defends Her Saying She's "a Piece of Art"
The entertainment world is in uproar over the debut of Tilly Norwood, a digital actress created by Eline Van der Velden, after word spread that talent agents were already circling to represent the AI performer.
What was meant to be an experiment in creativity quickly turned into a heated debate in Hollywood.
In a statement shared on Instagram and reposted on Norwood’s own account, Van der Velden defended her creation.
“To those who have expressed anger over the creation of my AI character, Tilly Norwood, she is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work – a piece of art.
“Like many forms of art before her, she sparks conversation, and that in itself shows the power of creativity.”
She went on to frame AI as another tool in the artist’s toolkit rather than a threat to actors’ livelihoods.
“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.”
Norwood is the first project from the AI talent studio Xicoia, which spun off from Van der Velden’s production company Particle6. During the Zurich Summit, she revealed that agents had already shown interest in signing the digital actress, with an official announcement expected soon.
That news didn’t sit well with many in the acting community. Social media was flooded with angry responses, parody accounts, and sharp commentary from recognizable names.
Melissa Barrera lashed out saying: “Hope all actors repped by the agent that does this, drop their a$$. How gross, read the room.”
Kiersey Clemons demanded accountability, posting: “Out the agents. I want names.”
Mara Wilson raised concerns over the process behind Norwood’s design: “And what about the hundreds of living young women whose faces were composited together to make her? You couldn’t hire any of them?”
Adding levity to the tension, Lukas Gage joked that Norwood was a terrible co-star, writing that she was a “nightmare to work with!!!!” and “couldn’t her mark and was late!”
Meanwhile, Toni Collette kept it simple, replying with a string of screaming emojis.
Whether Norwood becomes a novelty or a major disruption in the industry remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Hollywood is not taking her arrival lightly.