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As if Hollywood didn’t have enough rising stars, an uncanny substitution for true talent has emerged. Dutch actress and comedian Eline Van der Velden recently developed Tilly Norwood, an artificial intelligence actress.

Van der Velden has been touring film festivals with Tilly, and agents are circling around with hopes of representing it.

But we don’t need more actors. There’s no shortage of talented but struggling performers fighting for limited roles. Replacing them with digital replicas is an unnecessary submission into entertainment’s descent.

With today’s media standards and desire for efficiency, though, the appeal is obvious. The AI actress obviously won’t age – something Hollywood has long held against women. It won’t demand fair pay, better contracts or creative control, and it can be engineered to be a mosaic of every star who came before it.

“We want Tilly to be the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman – that’s the aim of what we’re doing,” Van der Velden stated.

This is a threat to the livelihood and craft of real aspiring actors, including those still entering the field here at Syracuse University’s highly ranked College of Visual and Performing Arts.

“There is so much to acting that computers can’t comprehend,” said Connor Willingham, a freshman Musical Theater major at VPA.

“It’s unrealistic to assume that a computer can do everything we’ve been trained to do our whole lives,” Lillian Kopacz, another freshman Musical Theater major and member of Papermill Playhouse Summer Conservatory since 2018, said.

For young performers, acting isn’t just about delivering lines, but also about unpredictability and taking risks. The incorporation of AI completely strips this authenticity.

“There’s a beauty in the fact that there’s a chance something can not go perfectly, and without that risk it’s just going to seem so robotic,” Wilmingham explained.

This isn’t a debate about the ethics of technology – it’s about whether they’ll even continue to exist. Not only will performers be competing with each other, but they’ll inevitably be losing a fight with these perfect, malleable avatars.

National outlets are echoing the concerns of our students, too. Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists released the following statement: “‘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.”

But Tilly Norwood is “not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work–a piece of art. She sparks conversation, and that in itself shows the power of creativity,” Van der Velden said.

But this response doesn’t remedy the very obvious and valid concerns of students.

“This is a threat not only to the performers, but also does a disservice to the audience to be using AI as a performer,” Kopacz said.

“I saw a lot of things about them choosing a woman as the first AI actor, and there’s a lot to say about the fact that she can’t say no,” Wilmingham added. “That’s terrifying, especially as a woman in the creative field. We’re taught how to set boundaries and communicate, and it’s scary that this gives directors the power to make her do whatever they want.”

Zoey Grimes | Design Editor

Bringing in Tilly Norwood is an ethical step back for Hollywood. Denying agency over bodies and careers, or taking advantage of sources that don’t get it at all, displays a problematic change in values.

Promoting a female AI actress who can’t say no reinforces the very power imbalance women in the industry have fought to dismantle. This advancement is a reminder of how easily a woman’s autonomy is stripped when profit is the priority.

Tilly Norwood isn’t materializing as a tool to enhance a performance – it is the performance. If it’s treated the same as a human actor, the true skills that build the performance industry will lose their value altogether.

Releasing the Tilly Norwood avatar now, after strikes in the industry have already expressed discomfort with AI usage, is just a slap in the face. The entertainment industry has long been reinventing itself, but this threat is one of a kind.

Tilly Norwood won’t be the first AI star. It’s only the beginning of Hollywood’s choice of convenience over creativity that performers should not have to fight against alone.

Navya Varma is a freshman majoring in political science. She can be reached at navarma@syr.edu.

Published on October 15, 2025 at 9:45 pm