‘I’ve Never Seen Her in a Movie. I Don’t Know Who This B***h Is’ — Jurassic World and Marvel Star Chris Pratt Says Panic Over AI ‘Actor’ Tilly Norwood Is ‘Bulls**t’
Marvel and Jurassic World star Chris Pratt has hit out at Tilly Norwood, insisting the panic within Hollywood about the potential impact of AI “actors” is “bulls**t.”
Tilly Norwood is a viral AI-generated creation pushed as the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman. It was created by Eline Van der Velden, the founder of AI company Particle 6 Productions. Van der Velden sparked a backlash last year when she announcing new talent studio Xicoia, which Deadline reported was already in talks with a number of talent agents interested in signing Tilly Norwood.
The Hollywood community was quick to condemn Tilly Norwood and its creators, as well as warn producers against dealing with it. Scream’s Melissa Barrera wrote: “Hope all actors repped by the agent that does this, drop their a$. How gross, read the room.” Matilda’s Mara Wilson said: “Shame on these people. They have stolen the faces of hundreds of young women to make this AI ‘actress.’ They’re not creators. They’re identity thieves.” The Fantastic Four’s Ralph Ineson, who played Galactus in the MCU movie, was more direct, posting “F**k off” on X / Twitter. The Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) ended up releasing a statement, warning producers against using “synthetic performers” without complying with its contractual obligations.
Now, while promoting his new movie, Mercy, Pratt insisted AI wasn’t coming for his job, despite the existence of AI “actors” like Tilly Norwood. “I don’t feel like someone’s gonna replace me that’s AI,” the 46-year-old actor behind the MCU’s Star-Lord, told Variety. “I heard this Tilly Norwood thing. I think that’s all bulls**t. I’ve never seen her in a movie. I don’t know who this b***h is. It’s all fake until it’s something.”
Pratt went on to describe AI is an “amazing tool” that would inevitably disrupt the movie industry by streamlining production and making it cheaper, but AI wouldn’t “replace the human soul.”
Last year, Van der Velden addressed the backlash to insist Tilly Norwood “is not a replacement for a human being.”
“To those who have expressed anger over the creation of my AI character, Tilly Norwood: she is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work — a piece of art,” Van der Velden said. “Like many forms of art before her, she sparks conversation, and that in itself shows the power of creativity.
“I see AI not as a replacement for people, but as a new tool, a new paintbrush. Just as animation, puppetry, or CGI opened fresh possibilities without taking away from live acting, AI offers another way to imagine and build stories. I’m an actor myself, and nothing — certainly not an AI character — can take away the craft or joy of human performance.
“Creating Tilly has been, for me, an act of imagination and craftmanship, not unlike drawing a character, writing a role or shaping a performance. It takes time, skill, and iteration to bring such a character to life. She represents experimentation, not substitution. Much of my work has always been about holding up a mirror to society through satire, and this is no different.”
In November, Tilly’s creator, Eline van der Velden, was reported to be making a shortform AI-led series for The History Channel. But Tilly Norwood’s “acting career” thus far has failed to take off.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
