Tilly Norwood: the first 100% IA actress that makes Hollywood tremble

Tilly Norwood has neither spent a casting nor trampled on filming platforms. And for good reason: it simply does not exist. Created from scratch by artificial intelligence, this virtual actress arouses as much enthusiasm as concern in the small world of cinema.

A launch with great fanfare

Tilly Norwood is the first major project of the Dutch studio Xicoia, founded by producer and actress Eline Van der Velden. Thought as the actress “ideal”-according to the Instagrammable codes of the time-she was introduced to the public with a role in a comic short film entitled Ai Commissioner,, Visible on his own Instagram account.

This video, produced by the London Studio Particula6, plays voluntarily on discomfort: “I may be generated by AI, but I feel real emotions”declares the avatar there.

Already courted by Hollywood

According to Van der Velden, several recognized artistic agents have already approached Xicoia in order to represent Tilly like any actress. The producer does not hide her ambitions:

In a few months, an agency should officially sign it, which would make it one of the first virtual actresses with a very real manager. And the projects do not stop there: Xicoia announces working on more than 40 actors made in aieach with a voice, a backstory and its own personality. Their technology, called Deepfame, allows them to improvise, to adapt their tone and even to dialogue live with the public.

A Flipping Star

The main argument of creators? No planning constraints, staggering stamps or filming delays. Producers see in AI a new way of bypassing the financial difficulties of an industry in crisis. Some studios already exploit the De-actingor digital rejuvenation, or allow themselves to resuscitate disappeared legends.

Others, like OPENAIplans to present an animated film to Cannes Full ai. But this future of cinema does not appeal to everyone. Several actors go up to the niche, denouncing a direct threat to their profession.

Melissa Barrera de la saga Scream calls interested agencies to boycott, while Ralph Ineson, seen in The Fantastic 4is much more virulent. For her part, Mara Wilson (Madame Doubtfire, Matilda) accuse the creators of having “stolen the faces of hundreds of young women”, and Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) begs her colleagues to refuse this development which she considers insulting for the profession.

These reactions are part of an already tense climate: in 2023, the strike of Hollywood actors had warned against the risks linked to AI, from the cloning of voice to the reuse of images.

A barely reassuring response

Faced with controversy, Eline Van der Velden tries to reassure. According to her, Tilly is not there to replace humans, but to open new creative possibilities:

A speech that struggles to calm the anger of professionals, but which highlights the desire to present Tilly as an artistic tool and not as a threat. Netflix had also had to provide service-after-sales, to justify the use of AI in the manufacture of its series The ene in. Artificial or artistic intelligence, one thing is certain: the public will have the last word. It remains to be seen if it is ready to applaud … a mirage.

Want to save even more? Discover Our promo codes Selected for you.