“Nobody hated me particularly”: AI actress Tilly Norwood breaks silence on last year’s Hollywood backlash
“Nobody hated me particularly”: AI actress Tilly Norwood breaks silence on last year’s Hollywood backlash
Vatsala Chauhan Sat, September 26, 2026 at 12:26 PM UTC
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Tilly Norwood ©Instagram/@tillynorwood
Tilly Norwood has looked back on the strong backlash the AI actress faced after her debut last year. During the Zurich Film Festival's Summit, while talking about the backlash, she said it was "quite an introduction," adding:
"My name kind of went everywhere. It’s funny. Nobody hated me particularly; they just sort of hated the future."
Additionally, the creator of Norwood, Eline van der Velden, admitted that she never expected Norwood to get such a big reaction in her "wildest dreams."
The AI-generated character, created by Particle 6 Group, faced huge backlash after its debut last year, with many in Hollywood raising concerns about AI replacing human actors, including The Devil Wears Prada actress Emily Blunt and Poker Face actress Natasha Lyonne, as reported by the BBC.
More on the story below.
Tilly Norwood's creator opens up about last year's backlash
Eline van der Velden - Source: Getty
After Tilly Norwood's debut last year, many Hollywood stars spoke out against the AI actress, including Natasha Lyonne, who said that any talent agencies that choose to work with Norwood should face a boycott from the guilds. Emily Blunt, speaking about Tilly Norwood, said it was "really scary" and requested agencies not to take away the human connection.
In the Zurich Film Festival's Summit, Norwood's creator and Particle 6 founder Eline van der Velden also talked about the backlash faced by them after introducing Tilly Norwood, where she said:
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"Yeah, so what was amazing about this backlash last year is actually it meant that a lot of talent reached out to us very secretly."
She also revealed that they had signed many NDAs because people were afraid of facing backlash, but they were already past that point and had nothing more to lose. When speaking about the fame Norwood received, van der Velden said she had programmed her to become the most famous AI actress but was surprised by how quickly it happened, calling it "slightly scary."
The creator also revealed the real reason behind creating Tilly, saying that more people are now realizing that AI is coming, which was the main reason she created Tilly. She wanted to help bring the technology and entertainment industries closer together. She added that instead of writing a long report about AI, she wanted to create something that would get people's attention and encourage the creative industry to prepare for AI rather than be taken over by it. As for getting an agent for Tilly, the creator made it clear that they do not need one right now, as the AI actress is already receiving many offers.
Interestingly, Norwood also expressed interest in working with Tom Holland and Olivia Colman, but only with their AI-generated digital versions rather than the actors themselves.
Last year, while speaking to TellyCast during Web Summit in Lisbon, Van der Velden said creating Tilly was a long process with human input at every step. She said they thought carefully about every detail, including her name, what it represents, and how she would connect with the audience.
Addressing concerns about AI replacing human talent, Eline van der Velden said that the fear around the technology is understandable and also agreed that Tilly is a computer-generated character. However, she added that the creative industry needs to understand how far the technology has come. According to her, it is then up to companies to put clear guidelines and ethical rules in place. She added that Tilly Norwood was created specifically for the AI genre and, for now, that is where she intends to keep the character.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
