Billie Eilish plays a queer cult leader in Donald Glover’s Swarm and fans have thoughts: ‘She ate’
Billie Eilish’s surprise role in Swarm has delighted fans. (Prime Video/Getty)
Billie Eilish has a surprise role in Amazon Prime’s gripping new horror series, Swarm, and fans can smell the Emmy already.
Co-created by Janine Nabers and Donald Glover, Swarm follows Dre (Dominique Fishback), whose life spirals out of control as her infatuation with fictional pop star Ni’Jah slowly consumes her.
While the series appears to be inspired by Beyoncé’s diehard fanbase, the Beyhive – it even has a central motif of a swam of bees – it’s another powerhouse performer that has set Twitter ablaze.
Making her acting debut as a creepy “cult leader” Eva, Billie Eilish’s appearance in the fourth episode of the series – “Running Scared” – has enraptured fans.
She snapped
— Swamp Princess 🐊 (@iamdoechii) March 16, 2023
Billie is coming for that Emmy. Y’all better watch out
— 𝔖𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔬𝔫𝔢 ℑ 𝔘𝔰𝔢𝔡 𝔗𝔬 𝔎𝔫𝔬𝔴 🐝 (@lostbvtfound) March 16, 2023
There’s also the not-so-insignificant fact that, in at least one scene that has already found its way onto Twitter, Eilish’s character seems to be in a sapphic relationship.
“BILLIE EILISH BEIJANDO MULHE MEU DEUSSSSSSSS,” wrote one fan, which translates to: “BILLIE EILISH KISSING A WOMAN OH MY GODDDDDDDD.”
Cool, calm and collected, we are not.
— matheus (@downtruly) March 17, 2023
Billie Eilish’s casting in Swarm came as somewhat of a surprise. The singer has been largely kept out of promotional material for the series, which premiered on Friday (17 March).
On Thursday (16 March), however, the official Swarm Twitter account confirmed the news after it leaked on Twitter via a Variety review.
They posted a short clip alongside the caption “sometimes … It’s good to give in” and the show’s trademark bee emoji.
“Did you hurt someone?” Eilish’s character asks Dominique Fishback’s in the clip.
After Fisbacks’s Dre answers in the affirmative, the pop star-turned-actor says: “Very good.”
Clips of the Swarm have begun to surface on Twitter following its release, garnering even more excited reactions from fans.
“Dominique Fishback and Billie Eilish having a mother off,” one wrote. Another said: “This legit just became my most anticipated new show.”
Fishback has also been receiving unanimous praise, with her performance described as “so strong the Emmys are gonna give her an Oscar”.
Alongside Fishback and Eilish, the series also stars Rickey Thompson, Beyoncé disciple/ protegé Chloe Bailey and Karen Rodriguez.
Swarm is streaming on Prime Video.
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