The woman behind the AI actor Tilly Norwood says Hollywood shouldn’t panic
What happens when you interview an AI ? If you can believe it, it’s stranger than you’d expect. Eline van der Velden, the Dutch actress-turned-tech-founder who created AI “actor” Tilly Norwood, explains how a personal art project became one of the most controversial figures in entertainment—attracting talent agency interest, death threats, and a global debate about whether AI will kill acting or…
Eline van der Velden, a Dutch actress turned tech-founder, introduced the AI "actor" Tilly Norwood as part of a personal art project. Tilly's creation sparked controversy, attracting interest from talent agencies, death threats, and a global debate on whether AI would replace or enhance acting. Despite the initial fear, Eline believes that great storytelling still requires human craft, and that ignoring the potential of AI could be the most dangerous course of action.
Tilly was launched in 2025, and rumors of talent agencies signing her led to speculation that she could replace Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman. However, Eline and her team view Tilly as a creative tool that could cut production costs by 50% and timelines by 50%, while also reducing the carbon footprint and water usage by 99%.
This new technology has the potential to democratize filmmaking, allowing filmmakers worldwide to create stories without needing permission from big studios or massive budgets.
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