12 h. ago The Guardian view on Tilly Norwood: she’s not art, she’s data | Editorial

The first 100% AI actor is a cause for alarm. But the human connection of great acting can never be replacedThe threat to human creativity from technology took another step closer this week with the appearance of Tilly Norwood, the first 100% AI-generated actor. Unsurprisingly, her unveiling at the Zurich film festival in a comic sketch called AI Commissioner caused an outcry. Emily Blunt described the film as “terrifying” and the actors’ union Sag-Aftra condemned it as “jeopardising performer livelihoods and devaluing human artistry”.There is much that is problematic about Norwood, not least the message her “girl-next-door vibe” sends to young women. But the more serious point is that her face has been made from those of real actors without their knowledge or consent. Her lighthearted debut masks the fact that she is part of a new model of media production that rides roughshod over longstanding norms and laws governing artists and their work. Hollywood has been anticipating Norwood...

Politics

37 h. ago Urchin review – Babygirl’s Harris Dickinson announces himself as a gutsy, thoughtful filmmaker

The British actor hasn’t wasted his cinematic education, and there are shades of many of his past collaborators – including Steve McQueen and Joanna Hogg – in this striking social-realist drama

Politics

38 h. ago Actors hate Tilly Norwood – but they are their own worst enemies | Catherine Shoard

The backlash against the AI actor has been fierce but with the rise of cosmetic surgery and navel-gazing releases, Hollywood needs to take a long, hard look at itselfGiven that she has appeared only fleetingly in a brief comedy sketch, backlash to AI actor Tilly Norwood has been swift and fulsome. The people, the industry and the critics spoke with united voice, all of them basically retching.Actors were especially fast out of the gate to condemn a concept that is – obviously – depressing, dystopian and (if the tech behind it has ripped off real-life faces) dodgy. It is also plain shonky: my colleague Stuart Heritage has said perhaps all there needs to be said about Tilly’s indeterminate dentistry, but there are clearly teething problems here that mean she’s far from ready for her closeup. Continue reading...

Politics

40 h. ago Only Fools and Horses legend dies aged 68 as tributes pour in

The actor appeared in 20 episodes of the iconic BBC sitcom

Events

47 h. ago Hugh Bonneville: ‘I’m no flipping hero – I just don’t like inhumanity when I see it’

Ahead of his appearance at this year’s Henley Literary Festival, the ‘Downton Abbey’ actor sits down with Helen Coffey to discuss his new children’s book, departure from ‘Paddington’, and why he doesn’t regret speaking out about Gaza

Politics

68 h. ago Balvinder Sopal reveals she feared being axed from EastEnders ahead of Strictly Come Dancing casting

Actor has appeared on soap as Walford matriarch Suki Panesar since 2019

Politics

3 d. ago Harris Dickinson condemns 'strange' fan comments after steamy scenes with Nicole Kidman

British actor Harris Dickinson has spoken candidly about his thoughts on receiving sexualised comments over his character in the film 'Babygirl' and the steamy scenes with Nicole Kidman.

Politics

4 d. ago Harris Dickinson: People that fall between the cracks, that’s always bothered me

The actor’s directorial debut Urchin centres around a rough sleeper in London who is trapped in a cycle of self-destruction.

Politics

6 d. ago Michael Sheen says he initially turned down Tony Blair role in The Deal

The actor was appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs.

Economics

6 d. ago JK Rowling responds to Emma Watson interview with parody clip following rift comments

Writer appears to mock the actor over comments about their rift

Politics

7 d. ago Harris Dickinson condemns 'deeply inappropriate' fan comments after Babygirl role

The Babygirl star says some reactions to the erotic drama were so inappropriate they left him stunned

Politics

7 d. ago Prince William makes heartbreaking admission on 'hardest year of his life' after Kate's cancer battle

Prince William has opened up on the 'hardest year of his life' in a rare TV appearance, as he joined Canadian comedian and actor Eugene Levy on his new show, The Reluctant Traveller

Politics

7 d. ago Prince William makes painful admission on Kate's cancer fight in rare TV appearance

Prince William has opened up on the "hardest year of his life" in a rare TV appearance, as he joined Canadian comedian and actor Eugene Levy on his new show The Reluctant Traveller.

Politics

8 d. ago ‘This is the first time I’ve not thought about the box office’: Dwayne Johnson on wrestling, reinvention and the role that could redefine him

He became cinema’s most bankable strongman. But weary of his own persona, Johnson turned to indie director Benny Safdie – and delivered a bruising new role that rewrites his own rulebookFor much of his career, Dwayne Johnson has been stuck between the Rock and a hard place. In the early years of his transition from body-slamming World Wrestling Entertainment heavy to marquee movie star, he was still being billed under his nom de ring. Even once he retired that moniker, he seemed to be lugging behind him a persona from which he might never be free. There are people-pleasers and then there is this affable brawler-turned-actor, who appears to regard the contentment of the world’s multiplex-goers as his personal responsibility. Whether in vehicles comic (Central Intelligence, Baywatch), family-oriented (Jumanji, Jungle Cruise), four-wheeled (the Fast & Furious series) or disaster-based (San Andreas, Skyscraper), he is a rip-roaring razzle-dazzler, shiny of scalp and tooth, and so co...

Politics

8 d. ago Star Wars Darth Vader actor fuming as he hunts 'boy racer' who smashed car wing mirror

Actor Spencer Wilding, who appeared in three Harry Potter films as well as Star Wars movie Rogue One, called out the "soft lad" who drove into his mini before taking off

Events

8 d. ago Harris Dickinson reveals 'deeply inappropriate' fan request on the plane as he admits he hates being sexualised after starring in erotic film Babygirl

The actor, 29, who is currently preparing to play John Lennon in Sam Mendes' hotly anticipated Beatles biopic series, said he struggled with the fallout from the erotic film.

Sport

9 d. ago James Bond casting curveball revealed amid search for new 007 after Daniel Craig left franchise

Though big-name stars have been linked to the role - including Idris Elba , Tom Hardy, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jacob Elordi, Tom Hollan , and Harris Dickinson - Villeneuve will lead the search next year.

Politics

9 d. ago Go quietly and get a side hustle: how to quit acting properly

Emma Watson hasn’t been on screen for six years and says she is better for it – for any one else tired of the Hollywood circus, here’s how to walk away with your dignity intactIn a recent interview with Hollywood Authentic, Emma Watson described herself as “the happiest and healthiest I’ve ever been”. And this is for one reason and one reason only: she isn’t an actor any more.The last time Watson appeared on film was in Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women six years ago. Since then, she has decided to lay low, largely because she considered the act of promoting her movies “soul-destroying”. And good for her; not just for refusing to strap herself to the machine, but also for slipping away so quietly that nobody had actually even noticed that she’d gone. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Claudia Cardinale, Italian cinema star known for The Pink Panther, dies aged 87

The Tunisian-born actor also appeared in ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’

Events

1 week ago Claudia Cardinale, Italian cinema star known for Pink Panther and 8 1/2, dies aged 87

The Tunisian-born actor also appeared in ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’

Events