Major talent agencies are reportedly in talks to sign AI actor Tilly Norwood, the first creation from Eline Van der Velden’s AI talent studio Xicoia, a spin-off from her production company Particle6. Van der Velden revealed the development during a Zurich Summit panel, noting that an official agency announcement is expected in the coming months.
Talent agencies planning to sign AI actor Tilly Norwood
“When we first launched Tilly, people were like, ‘What’s that?,’ and now we’re going to be announcing which agency is going to be representing her in the next few months,” Eline Van der Velden said (via Deadline).
Van der Velden explained that studios initially dismissed AI in early 2025 but shifted their stance by mid-year. “We were in a lot of boardrooms around February time, and everyone was like, ‘No, this is nothing. It’s not going to happen.’ Then, by May, people were like, ‘We need to do something with you guys,’” she told Deadline. Tilly Norwood has already appeared in her debut comedy sketch AI Commissioner, which she announced on her social media page.
AI talent studio Xicoia was launched to create, manage, and monetize hyperreal digital performers. Van der Velden stated, “We want Tilly to be the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman, that’s the aim of what we’re doing.” She added on LinkedIn, “Audiences? They care about the story — not whether the star has a pulse. The age of synthetic actors isn’t ‘coming’ — it’s here” (via Broadcast International).
Verena Puhm, head of Luma AI’s Studio Dream Lab LA, agreed that studios were adopting AI quietly. “Some said, ‘Oh, no, we’re not using AI.’ I knew some were lying, they were already secretly working on some stuff, but some were not open to it at all. Then definitely this year, kind of like March, April, people called me and wanted to talk to me,” she shared.
Puhm added that major companies are already developing AI-assisted projects under NDAs, with public announcements expected soon. “In the beginning of next year, there’s going to be a lot of announcements,” she explained.
Originally reported by Anubhav Chaudhry on ComingSoon.
