Journalism of Courage
A digitally created figure named Tilly Norwood is drawing headlines across Hollywood, with some industry insiders calling her the “next Scarlett Johansson” — and others warning she represents a threat to human actors.
According to a report by The Guardian, Norwood is the creation of AI talent studio Xicoia and was unveiled this past weekend at the Zurich Film Festival. Despite having no real-life existence, she has already been lined up with agency representation and is reportedly attracting interest from film studios.
Norwood is an AI-generated composite, and appears to have been designed to resemble a blend of several well-known actresses, including Gal Gadot, Ana de Armas, and Vanessa Hudgens in her early career. On social media, she has been presented as an up-and-coming actor, with posts describing her excitement about future projects.
Her first credited appearance was in AI Commissioner, a short AI-generated comedy sketch released online earlier this year. In the video, she delivered scripted lines while moving in a way designed to resemble human performance. The sketch received around 200,000 views, but responses to it were mixed, with many viewers finding the result “unsettling.”
The launch of Norwood has provoked strong criticism from actors who see her as a threat to jobs and to the creative integrity of the film industry.
Melissa Barrera, known for the Scream franchise, wrote on Instagram that she hoped actors represented by the agent behind Norwood would drop them. “Hope all actors repped by the agent that does this, drop their a$$,” she wrote on her Instagram stories.
Mara Wilson, star of Matilda, questioned why producers could not hire any of the real women whose appearances were used to design Norwood’s features. “And what about the hundreds of living young women whose faces were composited together to make her? You couldn’t hire any of them?,” she wrote.
Ralph Ineson, of Fantastic Four, reacted more bluntly, posting an expletive-laden response on social media.
Industry analysts say Norwood highlights why some studios may see advantages in AI performers. An AI actor has no scheduling conflicts, salary demands, or public controversies, and can be fully shaped by producers and directors. Norwood’s virtual status also means she can be kept permanently youthful, avoiding issues of ageing or image management that come with traditional stars.
Creator rushes to defence
Van der Velden, whose AI talent studio Xicoia created Norwood, defended the AI actress online. In a statement posted from Norwood’s Instagram handle, he said: “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”.
The message, also posted on Velden’s handle, went on to say that he saw “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,” the statement read.
