To say Billie Eilish is talented would be an understatement. Despite only being 23 years old, the pop star has accomplished more than most people will in a lifetime, and now the performer is branching out, having made her acting debut in Swarm. Eilish first exploded onto the music scene with hits like “Bad Guy’ and “Ocean Eyes”. Since then, Eilish’s career has only seen upswings. The musician already has two Oscars for her hit songs from No Time to Die and Barbie. She’s also won nine Grammy Awards. Suffice it to say, Eilish is multi-faceted.
Swarm, the 2023 Amazon Prime Video miniseries co-created by Donald Glover and Janine Nabers, is the perfect place for Eilish to show off her acting chops. It centers around a young woman named Andrea “Dre” Greene (Dominique Fishbach) as she falls deeper into obsessive fandom surrounding her favorite pop star. Ni’Jah (Nirine S. Brown). It makes sense that Eilish would be a part of Swarm because so much of the story revolves around the music industry. But, make no mistake, she adds to both the tension and beauty on screen.
Billie Eilish’s Acting Debut Sees Her Playing Cult Leader Eva In Swarm
Eva Is Based On Real-Life NXIVM Leader Keith Raniere
In Swarm, Billie Eilish plays Eva, a cult leader of a women’s empowerment group. After Dre commits multiple murders in the previous episodes, she is tailed by a police officer, and is only saved by Eva at a nearby gas station in episode 4, “Running Scared”. Eva’s cult consists of only white women, but the leader still takes a shine to Dre, who is Black. The rest of the episode sees Dre becoming more embroiled in the cult and delving into the previous murders she committed through counseling with Eva.
While Eva and her cult are “helping” Dre, they actually take her phone and clean out her car, snatching important documents. When Dre wants to leave the cult, Eva threatens her with blackmail. Dre eventually escapes, but not before running over Eva with her car. Eilish’s character is based on the real-life NXIVM cult leader, Keith Raniere. In 2019, Raniere was convicted of multiple charges, including wire fraud conspiracy and sex trafficking. Like Eva in Swarm, Raniere preyed upon women by disguising NXIVM as an empowerment group. He was sentenced to 120 years in prison in 2020.
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Of NXIVM and how it inspired Swarm, co-creator Janine Nabers told THR,
There is a cult that existed in the world that was very prominent during that time. And that is the kind of true-crime element to that episode. And I think that when people think of the idea of artists or celebrities, there is this idea of thinking about the cult of Taylor Swift, or the cult of the Beatles or whatever. What we were really interested in was just seeing someone who worships at the altar of ‘something,’ and (exploring) this idea of what is the cult of the mind.
Emulating a real-life cult leader is not an easy task, especially for a first-time actor like Eilish. But, the pop star manages to make the character her own. The counseling sessions between Dre and Eva showcase Eilish’s acting ability. During the sessions, Eilish excels at capturing the eerieness of a cult leader, while using few words. Her facial expressions speak for themselves. Eva’s expressions are stilted, and she smiles for an uncomfortable amount of time even though Dre is talking about murder. Elisih also delivers a bone-chilling line. In a little more than a whisper, Eilish asks, “Did you hurt someone?“
Will Billie Eilish Continue To Act?
She Certainly Wants To
Eilish has expressed that she likes acting and is interested in doing it again. When asked what kind of roles she’d like to take on in an interview, the pop star laughed and said she didn’t know but later expressed interest in acting in a “badass action movie.” (via Vanity Fair). Also, in a TikTok with Vanity Fair, Eilish said that she didn’t seek out acting earlier because her brother Finneas would constantly get cast in projects while Eilish did not. She’s also made her love of film clear in her music, as Eilish based her hit song “CHIHIRO” on the Miyazaki classic, Spirited Away.
Eilish isn’t the first superstar musician to venture into acting. Lady Gaga starred in and was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in A Star Is Born (she won for Best Original Song “Shallow”, which featured in the same movie). Gaga also starred in movies like House of Gucci and Joker: Folie à Deux.
Perhaps the best example of a music icon crossing into the world of cinema is Cher. She earned an Academy Award for her portrayal of a bookish woman who falls for a baker in Moonstruck. So, yes, Eilish can succeed as an actress. Who knows, the pop star could even garner a third Academy Award for acting instead of music.
Swarm is a horror series created by Donald Glover and Janine Nabers. Dominique Fishback plays Dre, a woman obsessed with a pop star with a fanbase collectively called the swarm. As Dre’s obsession with her dream icon intensifies, the show will explore how deep – and dark – fandom can go.
- Release Date
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March 17, 2023
- Cast
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Dominique Fishback
, Chloe Bailey
, Damson Idris
, Rickey Thompson
, Paris Jackson
, Rory Culkin
, Kiersey Clemons
, Byron Bowers - Seasons
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1