As Hollywood continues grappling with the emergence of artificial intelligence in entertainment, a new AI-generated actress named Tilly Norwood is sparking fierce debate about the future of talent representation. Created by Eline Van der Velden, founder of the AI production studio Particle6, Tilly made her screen debut in the comedy sketch AI Commissioner and has already stirred both intrigue and backlash within the industry.
Van der Velden, speaking at the Zurich Film Festival, hinted that an agency would soon represent Tilly, stating, “We’re going to be announcing which agency is going to be representing her in the next few months.” Her goal, she said earlier, is for Tilly to become “the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman.”
However, not everyone is on board. Gersh Agency President Leslie Siebert called the concept “frightening” and firmly stated that her agency would not represent the AI performer. “We’re not going to be that agency,” she told Variety, though she acknowledged that AI representation is an issue the industry will have to address soon.
Legal experts, like JD Harriman of Foundation Law Group, view Tilly as a sign of what's to come. Harriman warned that AI actors, who never age, make mistakes, or require rest, could prove highly attractive to studios seeking cost-effective alternatives to human performers. He pointed to the controversy involving OpenAI’s Sky voice assistant, which mimicked Johansson's voice without consent, as a sign that Hollywood should have seen this trend coming.
Actors and unions are pushing back. SAG-AFTRA criticized Tilly as lacking the life experience essential to true acting, and actresses like Emily Blunt and Kiersey Clemons have also voiced concern. Producer Scott Stuber, speaking at the Deliver Me From Nowhere premiere, emphasized the irreplaceable human element in storytelling, saying, “What we all do is magic.”
While some agents remain unfazed, others recognize that AI performers like Tilly pose new challenges around creative labor, ethics, and intellectual property. For now, Tilly remains unsigned — but her presence signals a shift the industry can no longer ignore.
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