Emily Blunt and Hollywood Stars Slam ‘Terrifying’ AI Actor Tilly Norwood Amid Industry Backlash

Hollywood is in uproar after the debut of “Tilly Norwood,” a lifelike AI-generated actress created by Dutch comedian and producer Eline Van der Velden. The synthetic star — presented as a young, aspiring performer with “girl next door vibes” — has sparked fierce criticism from actors, unions, and industry veterans who say the technology threatens human artistry.

Oscar-nominated actress Emily Blunt described the creation as “terrifying,” warning agencies not to strip away “our human connection” by replacing real actors with computer-generated characters. Fellow actress Natasha Lyonne went further, calling for a boycott of any talent agency that works with Norwood.

Hollywood’s most powerful union, SAG-AFTRA, also condemned Norwood, stressing she was not a performer but “a character generated by a computer program trained on the work of countless professional actors.”

“It has no life experience to draw from, no emotion, and audiences aren’t interested in computer-generated content untethered from the human experience,” the union said, warning studios that using Norwood could violate protections secured after the 2023 Hollywood strikes.

The creation comes less than two years after those strikes brought the industry to a standstill, with AI among the most contentious issues. Actors and writers demanded safeguards against synthetic performers being used to replace human talent.

Norwood’s Instagram page presents her as a rising star, sharing promotional headshots, staged “filming tests,” and even a spoof appearance on The Graham Norton Show. In one post, her creators wrote: “I may be AI, but I’m feeling very real emotions right now.”

Her creator, Van der Velden, defended the project as an artistic experiment, insisting Norwood was “not a replacement for a human being but a creative work – a piece of art.” She compared the process to “drawing a character, writing a role or shaping a performance,” arguing that AI actors should be judged within a new creative genre rather than against human performers

Despite Van der Velden’s defence, many in Hollywood see Norwood as a direct threat to livelihoods. Blunt, speaking on a Variety podcast, reacted with visible shock when shown a video of the AI actor: “That’s an AI? Good Lord, we’re screwed. That is really, really scary. Please stop. Please stop taking away our human connection.”

On The View, actress and comedian Whoopi Goldberg expressed scepticism about AI’s ability to truly replace human actors, noting: “They move differently, our faces move differently, our bodies move differently.”

The controversy has intensified since trade outlet Deadline revealed Van der Velden presented Norwood at a summit in Zurich last weekend, alongside her new AI production company and talent agency, Xicoia. She suggested major Hollywood studios are already quietly experimenting with AI casting — and that high-profile projects using the technology could be announced soon.

As the industry braces for disruption, the fight over Tilly Norwood has become a flashpoint in Hollywood’s ongoing struggle to define the role of artificial intelligence in storytelling.