Hollywood Faces Growing Anxiety Over AI-Generated ‘Fake Actor’ Amid Industry Backlash
Hollywood’s entertainment industry is confronting increasing concerns over artificial intelligence (AI) and its implications, triggered significantly by the emergence of an AI-generated actor named Tilly Norwood. The Dutch creator behind this digital persona sparked a major backlash when announcing plans to have Norwood signed by a talent agency, intensifying existing fears about the future of human actors amid AI technology advancements.
The phenomenon of AI-generated deepfakes—highly realistic but entirely fabricated videos or images made with artificial intelligence—is not new but is rapidly escalating. Deepfakes have already been used to depict celebrities saying or doing things they never consented to, resulting in reputational risks and intellectual property concerns. Traditional Hollywood figures and agencies, including comedian Steve Harvey and the renowned talent agency WME, have enlisted specialized companies such as Chicago-based Vermillio to monitor and remove faux content that misuses their clients’ likenesses.
Vermillio’s CEO Dan Neely explains that the proliferation of deepfakes is now moving beyond celebrities and industry insiders to affect everyday individuals, with an exponential increase in generated content—from roughly 18,000 deepfakes globally in 2019 to an estimated 2 trillion generative AI creations in 2025. To counteract this rampant spread, Vermillio has begun offering some of its detection and takedown services for free to the public, emphasizing the urgency of addressing AI misuse before government regulations catch up.
The rise of an AI actor like Tilly Norwood encapsulates these anxieties. The digital persona is creative work that blurs the line between fiction and reality, raising ethical and legal questions regarding consent, rights of publicity, and the potential displacement of working actors. Industry insiders worry that AI actors could undercut human performers by generating performances without human labor or compensation, disrupting the craft and economic livelihood of real actors.
The controversy is not confined to Hollywood; international markets such as China are also vigorously exploring AI in entertainment. Notably, Chinese companies have been experimenting with AI recreations of martial arts classics and iconic figures like Bruce Lee, leading to disputes about the legal use of likenesses and intellectual property abroad. Bruce Lee Enterprises recently expressed surprise at AI-powered remakes that utilized Lee’s image without prior consent, showing how global AI-related challenges are increasing cultural and legal tensions.
Moreover, leading Hollywood studios are now legally responding to AI’s unchecked rise. Major companies like Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. Discovery have filed lawsuits against Chinese AI firms accused of copyright infringement for using their content to train AI without authorization. These escalating copyright battles underscore the entertainment industry’s push to safeguard its content and talent against AI-based exploitation.
While AI brings promising creative tools, Hollywood is at a critical junction where it must balance innovation with protecting artists’ rights and the integrity of storytelling. The emergence of AI actors like Tilly Norwood and the surge in deepfake content have intensified calls for clearer regulations, ethical guidelines, and proactive industry responses to a rapidly evolving digital frontier.
As Vermillio’s Dan Neely stated, the solution cannot wait for governments or regulations; the industry and technology providers must lead efforts to defend against misuse. This growing anxiety reflects broader societal debates about AI’s impact on jobs, creativity, and authenticity in art and media.