Hollywood loves a reboot, or should we say robots? At Dapper Diary, we did not expect the latest “it girl” to be a USB drive with lip gloss. Meet Tilly Norwood, the AI-generated actress who just snagged a spot on screen and already managed to break the internet (and maybe Whoopi Goldberg’s patience). While some are calling her the “future of film,” the rest of us are wondering if this AI-generated actress will replace talents like Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman. Will her “stolen performances” and “uncanny valley features” win her the Best Actress award at the Oscars 2026, or will we finally see an end to such ragebait AI tactics?
In case you’ve been blissfully scrolling TikTok instead of Variety headlines, Tilly Norwood is a hyper-realistic AI actress “created” by the tech company, Particle6. Eline van der Velden, the CEO of Particle6, founded the video production company to make her the next leading lady. She looks like the child of a Victoria’s Secret model and a Pixar rendering. Tilly Norwood has already been cast in a new indie project. Studios are hyping her up as “cost-effective talent” (yikes) who never complains, ages, or asks for a trailer with LaCroix. So basically, Tilly is a dream for accountants and production houses who are looking to cut corners. She is basically a nightmare for everyone else.
When The View’s queen of hot takes, Whoopi Goldberg, was asked about Tilly Norwood, she didn’t hold back. Goldberg basically said what we’re all thinking: how dare a piece of code try to act like it knows the grind of an actual human actress? Whoopi called out Hollywood’s obsession with cutting corners using AI, reminding everyone that storytelling is about lived experience, not processor speed. Emily Blunt also chipped in and called Tilly “Really Scary,” and she is warning Hollywood agencies to not to get on the bandwagon. And honestly, if Whoopi Goldberg and Emily Blunt tell you to log off, you log off!
SAG-AFTRA, Hollywood’s loudest union, has already raised the red flag on Tilly Norwood. They’re not amused by studios quietly testing AI performers while real actors are still hustling for roles. The union blasted her debut as a “backdoor stunt.” SAG-AFTRA is warning that replacing human talent with algorithms isn’t just tacky, it’s dangerous for the industry. If you think the actors’ strike of 2023 was spicy, wait until Siri starts getting invited to table reads.
Social media has roasted Tilly harder than a Twitter thread about Zendaya’s Met Gala looks. On X (yes, still Twitter to us), fans dragged her as “AI nonsense,” “Hollywood’s laziest plot twist,” and “the uncanny valley’s prom queen.” TikTok stitched her announcement clip with soundbites of robots gone rogue, think Black Mirror, but make it clownery. Hollywood may think audiences will adjust, but if Barbie taught us anything, it’s that viewers want messy, heartfelt, human performances. We do not want autotune for emotions and a mimicry of art.
Tilly isn’t just one awkwardly designed actress; she’s the Pandora’s box of the entertainment industry. If an AI can land roles, what happens to thousands of working actors? Writers just fought tooth-and-nail against AI scripts, and now actors have to worry about competing with an algorithm that doesn’t need healthcare. We all know it’s going downhill from here. As we saw last time, production houses love to cheap out, and Tom Holland suffered a concussion on set. If AI actresses become the norm, Hollywood’s red carpets are going to look like an Apple Store grand opening.
So, will Tilly Norwood change Hollywood forever? Probably not in the way the tech bros hoped. Instead of becoming the new Meryl Streep, she’s shaping up to be the industry’s cautionary tale. This AI experiment showed us humans still want, well, humans. Hayao Miyazaki, the co-founder of Studio Ghibli and recipient of numerous accolades, including multiple Oscars, is a staunch opponent of AI in animation and called it “an insult to life itself.” This shows that many true artists, actors, and directors are against the use of AI when it comes to movies. Hopefully, we’ll see a full ban of such practices, even if some defend AI art as a form of expression and the “next best thing.” Until then, Tilly, enjoy your fifteen minutes of fame.
Tilly Norwood may be Hollywood’s shiny new toy, but she’s giving more “glitching NPC” than “Golden Globes speech.” At Dapper Diary, we know that Whoopi Goldberg is right, acting is about human messiness. Audiences appreciate the raw performances and the lived heartbreaks, the unhinged laughter, the awkward pauses that can’t be generated by ChatGPT with good cheekbones. Sure, studios are chasing cheap and shiny. However, if they keep this up, fans will happily stream TikToks of cats playing piano instead of buying tickets to see Silicon Barbie emote in 4K.
➥Who or what is Tilly Norwood?
Tilly Norwood isn’t a struggling actress from the Valley, she’s a 100% AI-generated product, created by Dutch producer and comedian Eline Van der Velden through her company Xicoia, the so-called “world’s first artificial intelligence talent studio.”
➥Is Tilly Norwood based on a real person?
Nope. Norwood isn’t some actress with an identity crisis. According to SAG-AFTRA, she’s “a character generated by a computer program trained on the work of countless professional performers.” She’s Frankensteined together from the talent of actual humans without being one herself.
➥Who was the first AI actress?
That would be Tilly Norwood, the debutante of the uncanny valley. She made headlines in late September 2025 when her arrival was hyped as Hollywood’s first official AI “actress.”
➥Why are Hollywood celebrities upset about Tilly Norwood?
Tilly represents a real threat to actors’ livelihoods. SAG-AFTRA and big names like Whoopi Goldberg argue that replacing flesh-and-blood performers with “synthetics” cheapens the craft and undercuts working talent.
➥What movie has Tilly Norwood worked in?
Tilly has reportedly been cast in a new indie project (title still under wraps), which producers are pitching as her “big debut.”
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