The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), actress Emily Blunt, The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg, and other Hollywood stars have erupted over AI-generated “actress” Tilly Norwood. “That is really, really scary,” Blunt said.
“SAG-AFTRA believes creativity is, and should remain, human-centered. The union is opposed to the replacement of human performers by synthetics,” the Screen Actors Guild said in a Monday statement posted to its social media.
“To be clear, ‘Tilly Norwood’ is not an actor, it’s a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers — without permission or compensation,” SAG-AFTRA continued.
The labor union went on to say Tilly Norwood “has no life experience to draw from, no emotion and, from what we’ve seen, audiences aren’t interested in watching computer-generated content untethered from the human experience.”
“It doesn’t solve any ‘problem’ — it creates the problem of using stolen performances to put actors out of work, jeopardizing performer livelihoods and devaluing human artistry,” SAG-AFTRA said.
“Additionally, signatory producers should be aware that they may not use synthetic performers without complying with our contractual obligations, which require notice and bargaining whenever a synthetic performer is going to be used,” the union added.
Actress Emily Blunt also reacted to the AI creation, calling it “really scary” and warning Hollywood agencies not to “do that.”
“No, are you serious? That’s an AI? Good Lord, we’re screwed,” Blunt exclaimed to Variety upon being shown an image of Tilly Norwood. “That is really, really scary. Come on, agencies, don’t do that. Please stop. Please stop taking away our human connection.”
The magazine noted that the Edge of Tomorrow star appeared “visibly unsettled” while talking about the AI-generated simulacrum during the interview, adding that Blunt pointed out that Tilly Norwood looks like a composite of familiar actors.
“They want her to be the next Scarlett Johansson,” Variety informed Blunt, to which the actress replied: “But we have Scarlett Johansson.”
Whoopi Goldberg, meanwhile, dared Hollywood agencies to use AI actors after questioning whether creations like Tilly Norwood could seamlessly keep up with real performers, who she says give audiences a real “connection,” reported Entertainment Weekly.
“The problem with this, in my humble opinion, is that you are suddenly up against something that’s been generated with 5,000 other actors,” Goldberg said. “It’s got Bette Davis’ attitude, it’s got Humphrey Bogart’s lips.”
“So it’s a little bit of an unfair advantage,” The View co-host continued, adding, “You know what? Bring it on. You can always tell them from us. We move differently, our faces move differently, our bodies move differently.”
Goldberg later conceded that while the AI technology “isn’t seamless yet,” it may be “in two or three years.”
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to hold on because what this means is AI in the workplace — not just my workplace, but in every industry,” she said. “Some industries are using AI now. People talk about people are so lonely they don’t have a connection.”
“If you stick with this, with AI, you won’t have any connection to anything but your phone,” Goldberg warned.
Other Hollywood stars — such as Melissa Barrera, Kiersey Clemons, Lukas Gage, and Mara Wilson — have also condemned the AI creation.
Comedian and writer Eline Van der Velden — the creator of Tilly Norwood, via the AI production studio Particle6 — defended her AI “actress,” saying, “She is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work, a piece of art.”
“I see AI not as a replacement for people, but as a new tool, a new paintbrush,” Van der Velden — who claimed at the Zurich Summit that Tilly Norwood is currently attracting interest from several talent agencies who she says are interested in signing her — said.
“Just as animation, puppetry, or CGI opened fresh possibilities without taking away from live acting, AI offers another way to imagine and build stories,” she added. “I’m an actor myself, and nothing — certainly not an AI character — can take away the craft or joy of human performance.”
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
