'You're robbing me': Morgan Freeman slams Tilly Norwood, AI voice clones

2 hours ago 1

The use of celebrity likeness for AI videos is spiraling out of control, and one of Hollywood's biggest stars is not having it.

Despite the use of AI in online videos being fairly new, it has already become a trope to use an artificial version of a celebrity's voice for content relating to news, violence, or history.

'I don't appreciate it, and I get paid for doing stuff like that.'

This is particularly true when it comes to satirical videos that are meant to sound like documentaries. Creators love to use recognizable voices, like David Attenborough's and, of course, Morgan Freeman's, whose voice has become so recognizable that others have labeled him as "the voice of God."

However, the 88-year-old Freeman is not pleased about his voice being replicated. In an interview with the Guardian, he said that while some actors like James Earl Jones (who played Darth Vader) have consented to his voice being imitated with computers, he has not.

"I'm a little PO'd, you know," Freeman told the outlet. "I'm like any other actor: Don't mimic me with falseness. I don't appreciate it, and I get paid for doing stuff like that, so if you're gonna do it without me, you're robbing me."

Freeman explained that his lawyers have been "very, very busy" in pursuing "many ... quite a few" cases in which his voice was replicated without his consent.

In the same interview, the Memphis native was also not shy about criticizing the concept of AI actors.

Photo by Chris Haston/WBTV via Getty Images

Freeman was asked about Tilly Norwood, the AI character introduced by Dutch actress Eline Van der Velden in 2025. The pretend-world character is meant to be an avatar mimicking celebrity status, while also cutting costs in the casting room.

"Nobody likes her because she's not real and that takes the part of a real person," Freeman jabbed. "So it's not going to work out very well in the movies or in television. ... The union's job is to keep actors acting, so there's going to be that conflict."

Freeman spoke out about the use of his voice in 2024, as well. According to a report by 4 News Now, a TikTok creator posted a video claiming to be Freeman's niece and used an artificial version of his voice to narrate the video.

In response, Freeman wrote on X, "Thank you to my incredible fans for your vigilance and support in calling out the unauthorized use of an A.I. voice imitating me."

He added, "Your dedication helps authenticity and integrity remain paramount. Grateful."

Norwood is not the first attempt at taking an avatar mainstream. In 2022, Capitol Records flirted with an AI rapper named FN Meka; the very idea that the rapper was even signed to a label was historic in the first place.

The rapper, or more likely its representatives, were later dropped from the label after activists claimed the character reinforced racial stereotypes.

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