Meet ‘Next Scarlett Johansson’: Why is everyone in Hollywood talking about actress Tilly Norwood?

Meet new Hollywood sensation Tilly Norwood, widely promoted as “the next Scarlett Johansson”. However, the main difference between Tilly and Scarlett is that Norwood is an AI-generated actress.

Hollywood agencies are reportedly becoming increasingly excited about hiring Tilly Norwood, sparking criticism. The “actress” has been created by Dutch actress Eline Van der Velden through her company Particle6.

The production company mentions in its AI-generated video: “No humans were harmed in the making of this production.”

"She'll do anything I say. I'm already in love," one of the characters says in the video about Tilly Norwood.

Numerous social media users slammed the AI creation.

“Just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you SHOULD,” wrote one of them.

Uproar in Hollywood

Several Hollywood performers have expressed concern. Matilda actress Mara Wilson questioned why real women, whose features helped build Norwood, were not hired instead.

On The View, Whoopi Goldberg argued that audiences would notice the difference. AI characters may mix traits from thousands of performers, but they cannot match the natural movement and emotions of humans, the Hollywood veteran added.

“It’s got Bette Davis’ attitude, it’s got Humphrey Bogart’s lips. 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,” the Star Trek actress said.

British actress Emily Blunt, who regularly works in Hollywood movies like The Devil Wears Prada, Edge of Tomorrow and A Quiet Place, has called Tilly Norwood “really scary”.

“Are you serious? That’s an AI? Good Lord, we’re scr*wed. That is really, really scary, Come on, agencies, don’t do that. Please stop. Please stop taking away our human connection,” Variety quoted her as saying.

“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 Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists has said in a statement.

“It doesn’t solve any “problem” — it creates the problem of using stolen performances to put actors out of work, jeopardizing performer livelihoods and devaluing human artistry,” it added.

Eline Van der Velden on Tilly Norwood

Meanwhile, ̌Eline Van der Velden reacted to the “anger” over the creation of 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,” Eline wrote on Instagram.

She has reminded everyone that she is an actress herself. Tilly Norwood, for her, is nothing but “a new paintbrush”.

“When we celebrate all forms of creativity, we open doors to new voices, new stories, and new ways of connecting with each other,” Eline concluded.