Film & TV3 min(s) read
The unsettling truth about this actor's first movie role could spell trouble for Hollywood.
The rising newcomer is set to star in Misaligned, a comedy-drama and coming-of-age story set in a surreal digital world.
The film will be produced using a hybrid model, with directors, writers, and editors working alongside AI specialists, while traditional crew members will receive AI training and mentorship throughout production.
According to Variety, the movie is set inside the "Tillyverse," which is a "surreal digital world located somewhere up in the cloud".
It will follow the main character, Tilly, an "AI being with no real body, no childhood, and no lived experience of her own, but access to everyone else’s".
"Things spiral when a seductive rogue bot from the dark web convinces her to abandon her guardrails and begin developing desires, impulses, and ambitions, making her more human," the outlet added.
There's just one catch with the upcoming movie: the actress isn't human.
The role will mark the feature film debut of Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated performer created by UK-based company Particle 6.
The company, which was founded in 2015 by Eline van der Velden, says Misaligned has been designed as a collaboration between traditional filmmakers and AI specialists, rather than a replacement for human creativity.
The company says it has retrained and upskilled its team of more than 30 people ahead of production.
"Our work this year has proven something we suspected all along," van der Velden said in a statement. "AI can support premium narrative filmmaking, but only with substantial amounts of human craft, skill, judgement, and time."
"That’s not a limitation of the technology. That’s the point. The filmmakers who thrive in the next decade will be the ones who bring decades of storytelling instinct to these new tools, and Misaligned is where we put that to work at feature scale," she added.
Norwood's debut is expected to revive a debate that has been simmering since Particle 6 first unveiled the AI performer last year.
Last September, SAG-AFTRA released a scathing statement, stating that they did not consider Norwood to be an actor.
"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," they said.
"It 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."
"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," they added.
Despite the backlash, van der Velden believes AI performers will complement, rather than replace, traditional actors.
"We're still going to want to watch Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds," she said. "We're still going to want to watch any level of actor. Instead of AI actors being in real film and TV, I think what might happen is that you'll get real actors wanting to be in the AI genre. We might do digital twins of them, so that they can also be an AI genre and get money from being in a different genre."
Van der Velden argued that, with the right direction, AI technology can achieve the same level of performance as animated characters.
"You can direct these computer-generated characters in a certain way, just like you can, in animation, direct Elsa [in Frozen]," she added.
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Emily Blunt was left stunned after being shown a headline about a brand-new “actress” taking Hollywood by storm, only to find out she wasn’t real.
The Oscar-nominated star sat down for an episode of the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast ahead of the Los Angeles premiere of A24’s The Smashing Machine when she was handed a story about Tilly Norwood, a digitally generated performer unveiled just days earlier.
Norwood, created by AI talent studio Xicoia, has reportedly already drawn interest from real-life Hollywood talent agents. When Blunt saw the images, she couldn’t believe her eyes.
“Does it disappoint me? I don’t know how to quite answer it, other than to say how terrifying this is,” Blunt admitted to Variety. “No, are you serious? That’s an AI? Good Lord, we’re screwed. That is really, really scary. Come on, agencies, don’t do that. Please stop. Please stop taking away our human connection.”
Blunt was even told Norwood had been designed to channel elements of some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Scarlett Johansson. Her response? “But we have Scarlett Johansson.”
Tilly Norwood marks the first major push from Xicoia, which spun out of Eline Van der Velden’s Particle6 production company. The project was announced at the Zurich Film Festival, with Van der Velden warning that more AI actors could be on the way soon.
The reveal has only fueled Hollywood’s ongoing debate about AI in film and television. The use of digital likenesses was one of the biggest sticking points in last year’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, with actors demanding safeguards to prevent their voices and images being replicated without permission.
Stars including Melissa Barrera and Lukas Gage have already voiced alarm at agencies entertaining the idea of signing up AI performers.
The backlash didn’t stop there. On The View, EGOT-winning actress Whoopi Goldberg gave her unfiltered take on Norwood’s debut, and she wasn’t impressed.
“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, via Entertainment Weekly. “It’s got Bette Davis’ attitude, it’s got Humphrey Bogart’s lips… it’s got my humor.”
She added that, while the technology might be sophisticated, real actors still bring something unique: “You can always tell them from us. We move differently, our faces move differently, our bodies move differently.”
Meanwhile, Blunt has been busy promoting The Smashing Machine, in which she stars opposite Dwayne Johnson (who's recently gone viral for his dramatic weight loss). The gritty drama, directed by Benny Safdie, has already drawn emotional reactions on the festival circuit and is tipped for awards season buzz.
But even with the excitement surrounding her latest film, Blunt couldn’t hide her concern at the thought of an AI rival. “Please stop,” she urged. “Please stop taking away our human connection.”
Fans have been left divided after discovering Kim Kardashian's possible new career move - and let's just say, we did not see this one coming.
Now, Kim Kardashian is known for a whole array of things including being a meme-worthy reality TV star, a chaotic mom-of-four, and more recently, her SKIMS faux nipple bra. I mean, have you seen that thing? It's bold but totally unnecessary.
It's safe to say that this woman can do it all so when we found out that she was going to try her hand at acting, we weren't too shocked but we were definitely intrigued.
Taking on the role of Siobhan Corbyn, a high-powered, straight-talking publicist in the latest season of American Horror Story, the 42-year-old showed off her drama skills bursting onto our screens with the iconic line: "Tell the Daniels to suck my c**t. She's not missing a press day for a f******g commercial shoot."
Check out the trailer for American Horror Story: Delicate:
If anyone could pull that off, it would be Kim, of course. Following her debut in the hit TV series - which also has other notable names such as Cara Delevingne, Matt Czuchry, and Emma Roberts - fans praised the star for her dedication to delivering the role. "I'm actually so surprised by how well Kim Kardashian acts in AHS," wrote one user.
"Everyone should want me as their manager. I would make the best decisions. I'd be like kim kardashian in AHS like I'd **** to get you an Oscar," added another.
A third also praised her as a "really good actor", before also adding: "I hope she stays on AHS."
Kim Kardashian West took on the role of Siobhan Corbyn in American Horror Story: Delicate. Credit: Stefanie Keenan/GettySo with some great reviews coming out of her first (professional) stint on screen, it seems as though the business-mogul-turned-lawyer is ready to continue her acting journey - but this time in comedy.
According to a report published by Deadline, Kardashian is attached to star in and produce a movie called The 5th Wheel, written by the legendary former SNL writer Paula Pell and stand-up comedian Janine Brito.
While there have been no revelations on any plot lines or cast members, it seems as though it's already bound to be a hit as the outlet also reported that "multiple bids are already on the table as five studios battle for the package."
Kim Kardashian will be working on a new comedy show, reports state. Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/GettyAfter the news was announced, it seems as though fans are divided about whether they're on board with this new venture.
"I'll be sure to miss that," wrote one social media user while another added: "She's been a comedy star since her show first hit the airwaves."
However, this user pointed out that "She was actually funny in the Disaster Movie and on SNL" and this one also stated that it's bound to be "good for her."
But we saw this same type of reaction when it was first announced that Kim would be on American Horror Story too, so I'm sure everyone will warm to the idea soon.
An adult star has revealed that she sold her likeness to an AI company so she can ease the pressures of her busy career.
Chloe Amour, from Las Vegas, has dedicated many years of her career as a performer in the adult entertainment industry.
Balancing a successful career in the industry with fan engagement proved challenging for the 33-year-old.
To overcome this, the Las Vegas-based performer created a virtual alter ego to interact with her audience when her schedule was demanding.
“When I chat with my fans directly, sometimes there’s things that they want to talk about with me, or there’s things that they want from me that I might not be able to give them,” she told the Daily Mail.
“But through AI, they have the same likeness of me, and it’s like I can be everything that they want me to be in a sense," she added.
The performer said transparency is very important which is why she wants her fans to know that the bot is not her "behind the device communicating" with them adding: "You know that you’re paying for."
Amour agreed to a realistic virtual representation of herself after being approached by a company. They paid her to provide them with photos, videos, and personal information, according to the publication.
The adult star acknowledges that AI still feels “scary and weird” to her at times, but she appreciates the ability to alleviate her workload.
Amour revealed that her AI twin will come in handy as she can often spend up to 12 hours during film shoots.
However, Amour has one regret about selling her likeness: "I should've signed up with them sooner because I would've gotten a bigger bonus!"
While some people love interacting with AI bots of adult performers, others prefer to create their own virtual lover from scratch using platforms such as CamSoda.
Dr. Gregory Jantz told The Sun that AI will not satisfy people's needs. "AI is not going to bring you a meal. We're setting ourselves up for a lot of future despondency," he said. "Watch how unfulfilled it will end up being."
The doctor revealed that over the past year, he has seen many patients seeking treatment for digital addictions, which he considers to be equally serious as alcohol or drug dependencies.
"We do know that you can create an emotional bond to that technology, to that social media, and to that AI girlfriend," he continued. "An emotional connection is made so you will go through withdrawal when that is extracted."
The mental health expert said he doesn't like "the direction we're going," adding: "If you've stepped into this already, watch where it can take you."
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