Could an AI-generated actress be the next big movie star? Not if Hollywood has a say.
When Tilly Norwood, a character generated with artificial intelligence, was announced to be in talks with talent agencies about becoming “the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman,” Hollywood stars, filmmakers and guild leaders snatched their pitchforks.
“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," Hollywood’s labor union, SAG-AFTRA, wrote in a statement.
The statement continued, “It has no life experience to draw from, no emotion and, from what we’ve seen, audiences aren’t interested in watching computer-generated content untethered from the human experience.”
The union added that it “believes creativity is, and should remain, human-centered” and said the used of AI-generated performers threatens to put human actors out of work and jeopardizes “performer livelihoods.”
Norwood was created by Dutch producer, comedian and founder of AI startup Particle6, Eline Van der Velden, as a “piece of art” rather than a “replacement for a human being,” Van der Velden wrote on social media in response to the backlash.
“Like many art forms before her, she sparks conversation,” Van der Velden added. “I see AI as not a replacement for people, but as a new tool — a new paintbrush. ... She represents experimentation, not substitution."
Still, Hollywood is prepared to put up a fight against AI-generated performers — especially if it starts robbing work from human actors.
“People are afraid of losing work. And actors are right to be afraid,” veteran Hollywood producer Charlie Fink told NPR. “I think that we are going to see a ton of synthetic actors. ... But I don’t think in top shelf movies it’s going to fly.”
A 2024 study estimated that just over 21% of film, television and animation jobs will be either consolidated, replaced or eliminated by generative AI in the U.S. by 2026, though the study does not look specifically at actors.
“Bring it on,” Whoopi Goldberg said on “The View,” a talk show she hosts.
“We move differently, our faces move differently, our bodies move differently. Maybe in two or three years it’ll be seamless,” Goldberg added. “But it’s not seamless yet.”
Hollywood boils over AI actress
“Lord of the Rings” actor Sean Astin, who is the just-elected leader of SAG-AFTRA, told Variety the union has been fighting against AI for “longer than people might realize.”
He added, “As technology continues to advance at light speed, we’re going to meet the challenge.”
“With regard to AI, we have an extraordinary amount of leverage, because the audience wants to see real human performers in movies, TV shows, animation, video games, audio books and in all the other ways that we represent our members,” Astin concluded.
Oscar-nominated English actress Emily Blunt called the AI actress “terrifying”
“That’s an AI? Good Lord, we’re screwed,” Blunt said after seeing a clip of Norwood, per Variety. “That is really, really scary, Come on, agencies, don’t do that. Please stop. Please stop taking away our human connection.”
And Natasha Lyonne, an actress and filmmaker, said anyone who works with Norwood should be boycotted.
“Any talent agency that engages in this should be boycotted by all guilds,” said Lyonne, adding, “Deeply misguided & totally disturbed,” per the BBC.
“Game of Thrones” star Sophie Turner said, “Wow … no thanks,” in response to Norwood’s acting aspirations, per CNN.
Controversy surrounds AI in filmmaking
The use of AI in filmmaking has been a hotly debated topic in Hollywood.
Despite reluctance from hundreds of actors, musicians, filmmakers and other artists, AI tools have crept their way into modern filmmaking.
Several films nominated and awarded at the 2025 Academy Awards relied on AI for production, such as “The Brutalist,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Emilia Pérez” and “A Complete Unknown.”
Following the award show, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences updated its rules for eligibility, voting and campaigning, and acknowledged the growing use of AI in film.
Using artificial intelligence and other digital tools to make a film will “neither harm nor help the chances of achieving a nomination,” the Academy shared in a statement. The update provided a new standard for increased acceptance of AI in filmmaking.
Still, hundreds of actors and filmmakers are pushing for stricter guidelines surrounding AI use in film.
In March, more than 400 Hollywood actors, filmmakers, musicians, writers and others signed an open letter sent to the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, encouraging the Trump administration not to weaken copyright protections for AI, per Variety.
The letter included signatures from Ben Stiller, Paul McCartney, Cate Blanchett, Mark Ruffalo, Paul Simon, Cynthia Erivo, Taika Waititi and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
“We firmly believe that America’s global AI leadership must not come at the expense of our essential creative industries,” the letter said, as reported by Variety.
“AI companies are asking to undermine this economic and cultural strength by weakening copyright protections for the films, television series, artworks, writing, music and voices used to train AI models at the core of multibillion-dollar corporate valuations.”