Tilly Norwood looks and sounds real, but she’s not real at all.
Created by Eline Van Der Velden, the CEO of the AI production company Particle6, the “actress” has garnered interest from studios with talent agents eyeing to sign her.
Variety reports, Van Der Velden explained at the Zurich Summit that studio interest has spiked since Tilly’s launch with agency representation expected soon. If signed, she would be one of the first AI-generated actresses to have talent representation.
This has not gone over well with real-life actors in Hollywood.
Actress Melissa Barrera wrote this on her Instagram Story, “Hope all actors repped by the agent that does this, drop their a$$. How gross, read the room.”
“Weapons” actor Cary Christopher left a comment on one of Tilly’s Instagram posts saying, “NOPE. Everybody should just block this AI account and any accounts associated with it.”
Actor Lukas Gage took to social media to poke fun at Tilly saying, “She was a nightmare to work with!!!!”
Van Der Velden responded to the backlash with a post on Instagram addressing those who “have expressed anger” over her creation.
“(Tilly) 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 said. ” “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.”
She said that creating Tilly has been “an act of imagination and craftsmanship, not unlike drawing a character, writing a role or shaping a performance.”
“It takes time, skill, and iteration to bring such a character to life. She represents experimentation, not substitution. Much of my work has always been about holding up a mirror to society through satire, and this is no different,” she continued. “I also believe Al characters should be judged as part of their own genre, on their own merits, rather than compared directly with human actors. Each form of art has its place, and each can be valued for what it uniquely brings.”
She ended her note saying that she hopes society can “welcome AI as part of the wider artistic family: one more way to express ourselves, alongside theatre, film, painting, music, and countless others. When we celebrate all forms of creativity, we open doors to new voices, new stories, and new ways of connecting with each other.”
However, back in July, Van der Velden told Broadcast International, “We want Tilly to be the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman, that’s the aim of what we’re doing.”
So far there’s no word on whether or not Tilly has actually been signed.
Tilly was created by Xicoia, which is an AI talent studio tied to Particle6.
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