Billie EilishBillie Eilish is in “advanced talks” to make her film acting debut in an adaptation of the Sylvia Plath novel, The Bell Jar, Deadline reports.
Already a ten-time Grammy Award winner and two-time Oscar winner – for her music – entering the world of acting is a longtime dream for the bad guy singer.
Director and writer Sarah Polley, recognised for the films Women Talking and Away From Her, and for writing the series Alias Grace, is attached to the project as director and screenwriter. Focus Features is reportedly “closing a deal” to support and distribute the film in the US.
The movie will be produced by Little House on the Prairie’s Joy Gorman Wettels, as well as StudioCanal and Plan B Entertainment.
The Bell Jar is the only novel written and released by Sylvia Plath, an influential writer and poet. The book was originally published in 1963 and followed a semi-autobiographical story about a young woman’s descent into mental illness – mirroring Plath’s own experiences with depression – while working as an intern for a magazine in 1950s New York City.
Plath died by suicide a month after the book’s first UK publication. Eilish is in advanced talks to portray the lead character, Esther Greenwood.
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While it’s unconfirmed if Eilish will contribute music to the film, she’s already found success for her songs in movies. In 2022, she took home her first Oscar for Best Original Song for No Time To Die – from the James Bond film of the same name.
In 2024, she won the same award for What Was I Made For?, her introspective tune for Barbie. Eilish was just 22 years old when she won her second Oscar in 2024, becoming the youngest two-time Oscar winner in history.
The adaptation of The Bell Jar marks Eilish’s first film role, but it’s not the first time she’s acted. Billboard notes that in 2023, she made her acting debut in an episode of the miniseries, Swarm, created by Donald Glover – also known as the musician Childish Gambino – and Janine Nabers.
The episode saw Eilish play the leader of a women’s empowerment cult who manipulated the main character, Dre (Dominique Fishback).
Eilish toured Australia last February and March in support of her latest record, Hit Me Hard And Soft.
Reviewing the singer’s show at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, The Music’s Emma Newbury remarked, “Whether it was her playful interactions with the crowd, her steadfast political and environmental values, or her effortless ability to command a stage and balance singing with action, Eilish reinforced why she remains one of the largest artists of her generation. Eilish was made for a long career in music.”
During her Australian tour, Eilish broke the long-standing single event attendance record at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena.
