Emily Blunt had no idea what was coming when she walked into the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast studio ahead of the Los Angeles premiere of A24’s The Smashing Machine this week. The Oscar-nominated actress, who has been on a promotional run for the highly anticipated sports drama, was caught off guard when she was handed a fresh headline: the unveiling of Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated actress who had been introduced over the weekend and was already attracting attention from Hollywood talent agents.
The Variety team asked Blunt to read part of the report aloud during the interview. Her initial reaction was one of disbelief, quickly followed by unease. “Does it disappoint me? I don’t know how to quite answer it, other than to say how terrifying this is,” she remarked. When shown an image of Norwood, Blunt was visibly shaken. “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.”
Tilly Norwood is the first project from Xicoia, a newly formed AI talent studio spun off from Eline Van der Velden’s production company, Particle6. The unveiling took place during the Zurich Summit at the Zurich Film Festival, where Van der Velden revealed that Norwood is just the beginning of a larger wave of AI-driven talent experiments already being quietly developed by various studios. According to Van der Velden, similar projects are expected to be announced in the coming months, signaling that AI-generated talent could soon become a growing fixture in Hollywood’s creative landscape.
For Blunt, who has spent nearly two decades cultivating a reputation as one of the most versatile performers in the industry, the idea that AI could replace human actors is profoundly unsettling. Norwood’s digital design, she was told, had been carefully crafted to resemble a composite of recognizable Hollywood stars. Variety noted that agencies wanted Norwood to be the “next Scarlett Johansson.” Blunt’s response was pointed and steady: “But we have Scarlett Johansson.”
Her reaction underscores a tension that has been brewing in the film and television industry for some time. The rapid development of artificial intelligence has brought both innovation and alarm. Hollywood has already seen AI deployed in de-aging actors, recreating the likeness of deceased performers, and even generating synthetic voices. Yet, for many actors, the line is crossed when AI attempts to replicate or replace the very essence of their craft: the uniquely human ability to interpret, feel, and connect with audiences through performance.
This debate was front and center during last year’s dual strikes by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA, where one of the most contentious issues was the lack of protections against the unauthorized replication of performers’ voices and likenesses. Actors demanded clear rules to ensure that studios could not digitally reproduce them without consent, fearing that AI could lead to both exploitation and the erosion of job opportunities.
Blunt’s emotional reaction mirrors the sentiments of many of her colleagues. Almost immediately after the news of Norwood’s unveiling broke, other actors began voicing their concerns online. Melissa Barrera and Lukas Gage were among the first to condemn the development, warning that the use of AI talent could strip away the human connection that defines the art of storytelling.
Blunt herself has always emphasized the human aspect of her work. In The Smashing Machine, she stars opposite Dwayne Johnson in a deeply emotional story about MMA fighter Mark Kerr, with Blunt portraying Dawn Staples, Kerr’s partner. Directed by Benny Safdie, the film premiered at both the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals, where it drew strong reactions from audiences and sparked early Oscar buzz. Much of the praise has been centered on the authenticity of the performances, something Blunt feels could never be recreated by an AI model.
The conversation about AI in entertainment is also tied to broader societal concerns. As artificial intelligence advances, industries from journalism to music are grappling with the ethical and economic implications of machines taking on traditionally human roles. For actors like Blunt, the idea that agencies might start signing and promoting AI-generated “performers” raises existential questions about the future of the profession.
Eline Van der Velden and her team at Xicoia, however, present Norwood as an innovative leap forward. They argue that AI performers could offer unique creative possibilities, reduce production costs, and even avoid the scheduling conflicts that come with human talent. Yet, critics warn that these advantages come at the expense of authenticity and artistry. The backlash to Norwood’s unveiling suggests that many within the industry are not yet ready to embrace AI actors as a legitimate replacement for real performers.
Blunt’s plea — “Please stop taking away our human connection” — speaks to a fundamental concern. Acting has always been more than reciting lines or mimicking emotions; it is about channeling lived experiences, empathy, and vulnerability in a way that resonates with audiences on a deeply personal level. For Blunt, and many of her peers, that connection is irreplaceable.
The unveiling of Norwood may be seen as a glimpse into a possible future for Hollywood, one where AI and human talent coexist in complex, and perhaps contentious, ways. But the immediate pushback from actors like Emily Blunt shows that the road to acceptance will be long and fraught with debate.
As Blunt left the interview, her comments continued to echo a larger anxiety in Hollywood: that while technology can enhance cinema, it should never be allowed to erase the humanity at its core. For now, her words serve as both a warning and a reminder — that art, at its best, is about human connection, and no algorithm can truly replace that.
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