Hollywood Pursues Synthetic Actor Tilly Norwood

AI talent studio Xicoia revealed that its synthetic performer, Tilly Norwood, is in negotiations with multiple Hollywood talent firms after debuting in a comedy sketch last month. Xicoia — a spin-out of production studio Particle6 — has been building a full persona for Norwood, complete with backstories, a voice, and narrative arcs, and founder Eline Van der Velden said she wants Tilly to “be the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman.”

Studios that once dismissed AI are reportedly moving quickly to pursue deals with synthetic talent; Xicoia claims “the age of synthetic actors isn’t coming, it’s here.” That acceleration has provoked pushback from human performers: several actors spoke out and called for boycotts of any agency that signs a synthetic performer, framing potential deals as a threat to working talent and existing industry norms.

The Norwood story joins other synthetic-persona developments (for example, AI musician Xania Monet) and highlights an escalating shift in entertainment: companies are experimenting with AI-driven public personas, while unions, agents, and actors wrestle with what representation, compensation, and creative ownership will look like in a market that now includes synthetic performers.

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