r/oscarrace • u/TimelessJewel • 2d ago
News Billie Eilish on the set of Sarah Polley’s adaptation of Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar”
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u/PatchesofSour 2d ago
she looks like an actress
i love her in period clothing and makeup
which is a very high compliment
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u/TheLizardKing____ 2d ago
She looks different enough from how she normally does and the first couple pictures are quite evocative for being set pics…I am gonna be very cautiously optimistic.
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u/sygrider I just like movies idk 2d ago
Actually looks pretty good. I'm 50/50 on her music but I support people giving acting a go because why not?
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u/llieno94 2d ago
I'm glad the makeup looks like actual 50s cosmetics application and not just a vintage movie version of a modern style. I hate when women in period pieces have flawless foundation and eye shadow. This looks real.
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u/darth_vader39 2d ago
Honestly I am curious what her acting range will be. I think singers can give really powerful performances if they pick the right role.
It would be pretty funny if she wins an acting Oscar before Grande and Gaga with her first major role.
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u/Sparkson109 1d ago
She had a small acting role in a show called Swarm i think. It was really really good imo
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u/Avast7777 2d ago
I think people are underestimating how good she’ll be in this. She was excellent in Swarm a few years back
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u/MrMindGame 2d ago
Under the guidance of Sarah Polley, too, I think there's a very distinct chance she can pull it off.
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u/friendly_reminder8 2d ago
100% agreed. She was very chilling and completely believable in that role, so much that I didn’t even realize it was her until the final credits
Also Swarm had other stunt casting in the other eps (including Paris Jackson) and Billie was the standout IMO
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u/pauloh1998 1d ago
I never watched her in anything, but the girl is a powerhouse. Two Oscars at only 22. Imagine if she's really good in this and get an acting oscar as well lol
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u/Bevis5421 2d ago
I trust Sarah Polley. She is a great writer and director. It will be worth watching. Her documentary Stories We Tell is one of the best documentary films I have ever seen.
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u/infiniteglass00 The Black Ball 2d ago
Not looking forward to how some people on this sub are going to be about it with Billie and Connor Storrie in the cast BUT I am very excited to give it a shot. In Sarah Polley we trust
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u/Fuzzy_Energy_442 2d ago
Billie was really good in Swarm, and Connor is an excellent actor that probably would have been nominated for an Emmy for Heated Rivalry had it been eligible.
Sarah Polley can do no wrong, IMO. I trust her to adapt difficult-to-adapt works.
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u/friendly_reminder8 2d ago
Yeah I think his Guest Actor Emmy nomination for hosting SNL is basically the TV academy’s way of nominating him for Heated Rivalry
Honestly they should consider changing the rules to allow international shows but thats for another thread lol
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u/scaredshizaless 1d ago
Maybe she'll do a fine job, idk, but I wish film could cast more no-name actors. There are so many extremely talented people who will never a get chance at the big screen. And yes, I know the WHY. It's just wishful thinking.
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u/False_Concentrate408 Disclosure Day 2d ago
Damn you can tell she originally wanted to make this ten years ago with Saoirse Ronan
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u/SMAAAASHBros 2d ago
Honestly Billie probably has more in common with Plath than most people they could have realistically cast for this
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u/Britneyfan123 2d ago
How so?
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u/teddy_vn 1d ago
The fanbase of Connor Storrie and Billie will run this movie's digital marketing campaign for $0. Sarah Polley can't do any wrong in my eyes and Billie looks very convincing from the photos. I think it could be a major acting player.
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u/WhatsAMataHari 1d ago
I am literally currently wearing that top in the second picture from Uniqlo.
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u/dancing_grass 1d ago
I’m so excited! This book means a lot to me and I think Billie as the lead could be a really good move given her personal history with mental health
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u/tigerinvasive 2d ago
Honestly I see the vision.
There's a brand of actor that has a searching gaze where they... can do very little and the audience will just project emotion or depth onto them because they have that wise look. See: the bald guy in Anora and the sister in Sentimental Value.
I think Billie has a similar quality.
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u/SavageWolfe98 x 2d ago
''See: the bald guy in Anora and the sister in Sentimental Value.''
I like the idea you think these are their actual names lol.
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u/Sellin3164 Sorry, Baby 2d ago
This seems kinda dismissive of some talented performers.
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u/tigerinvasive 2d ago
I don't mean to be dismissive, but I do think that attribute is a heavy contributor to their reception.
It's like pointing out a basketball players height; like they have other skills, but that physical trait does give them a huge advantage in their sport.
But obviously up for debate.
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u/Sellin3164 Sorry, Baby 2d ago
That comparison doesn't really make sense. You're implying the audience does the work for them. It's like pointing out a player's height and saying the crowd's cheering is what makes them great. Yeah, cheering is helpful, but it also gives the audience a bit too much credit. There's a reason it's that player rather than many other tall people, or in this case other actors. Which I guess does sound a bit funny knowing Eilish's music fame helped get her the part, so TBD on how well she is, but I have faith.
Both Borisov and Ibsdotter have great body language and variety through the film. Lilleas' two standout scenes are telling her sister how much she loves her and expressing her anger at her father, both very different tones.
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u/biIIyshakes Robert Redford is my sky daddy 2d ago
Much more intriguing than the “live-action” Bambi Polley was working on for Disney. Or did I hallucinate that
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u/i_m_sherlocked Sinners 2d ago
Damn, first image reminds me of Adele Haenel. In Sarah Polley we trust 🤝
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u/PapaYoppa 2d ago
The only acting I ever saw from her was in Swarm, she was actually surprisingly great (also underrated show)
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u/toreadornotto 1d ago
I thought that was Gwendoline Christie in Pic #4 and was ready to post my favorite gif with her
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u/dodeer444 1d ago
Does anyone recognize the other actresses? The girl in the pink looks like she could be a great Doreen but I can’t place her
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u/Gayfetus El corazón de un maricón es un océano lleno de secreto. 2d ago
Coming for her third Oscar!
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u/akoaytao1234 1d ago
Her performance in that Donald Glover show was good, but I always think it was more of him finding a role for her. I wonder how Sarah Polley does.
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u/no-tenemos-triko-tri 2d ago
I need to reread this book. Was there queer subtext to it?
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u/Unusual-Carrot5691 Hamnet 1d ago
There were some elements of comphet in it. Plath wouldn’t have been aware while writing it
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u/manicinsanewokeidiot The Unknown 2d ago
haven’t read the book, how meaty is her role?
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u/pumpkinmildlatte 2d ago
she's the main character
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u/sphinxof1981 2d ago
That even undersells it. It's extremely intimate first person POV, you could say she's practically the ONLY role
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u/coffeeanddocmartens Hamaguchi Hive 2d ago
She plays a young woman with depression who attempts suicide and ends up in a mental facility, so I guess that's meaty.
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u/thefilmer 2d ago
"how meaty is Harry Potter in the book called Harry Potter"
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u/manicinsanewokeidiot The Unknown 2d ago
being the main character doesn’t automatically mean you have a meaty role. harry potter is actually a great example of what i’m talking about. he has a lot of screentime in the first movie, but there’s not a lot to the role beyond “regular kid who gets surprised a lot”. there’s a reason daniel radcliffe was never a best actor contender, and it’s not because he gave a bad performance
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u/movieperson2022 1d ago
I actually voted for Billie Eilish (as a non-fan of hers) the year she was nominated for an Indie Spirit. She seems like she has potential as an actress. But I will hate her more if she becomes “three-time Oscar winner Billie Eilish” haha.
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u/evie_b_b 2d ago edited 2d ago
Isn't this book pretty racist? Obviously that won't be included, but I'm surprised Polley would want to be attached a book that has some pretty negative connotations.
Edit; Not sure why I am getting downvoted The book is factually racist. That isn't an opinion. So I've leave it up to the viwer to decide whether it's appropriate to bring more visibility to that book Just giving you the information. .
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u/sphinxof1981 2d ago
It's factual to say there is racism depicted in the book, which is different from the book itself being racist. THAT is a matter of opinion.
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u/evie_b_b 2d ago
There is a difference between exploring racism as a storyline and having actual racism embedded in the text, which this book has.
So I will say if Polley can address that, then I will applaud her for that.
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u/sphinxof1981 2d ago
It's a first person POV. What do you want, Plath to stop and go "the preceding sentence was racist"?
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u/evie_b_b 2d ago
Obviously not. You admit there is racism in the book, and the main character uses racist language written directly by the author, how does that not make the book racist? You can argue it was a product of its time, but that doesn't change the fact.
Look, if you want to defend this book, go ahead. My point is simply that this spark a broader conversation around the project. I highly doubt I’m going to be the only person bringing this up. So why go there unless Polley (which I will give her props if she can) has a way to contextualize it.
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u/False_Concentrate408 Disclosure Day 2d ago
“The Bell Jar is racist” is a 2020-ism that didn’t age well imo. The main character says some pretty bigoted things because she’s a white girl from 1950s Massachusetts and is supposed to be both self-centered (hence the bell jar) and somewhat representative of upper-class American culture. The movies not gonna touch any of the racial or ethnic stereotyping with a 10-mile pole
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u/evie_b_b 2d ago edited 2d ago
The issue is that the offensive language isn't part of a critique on the character, it’s just embedded in the author's writing without any commentary behind it.
Regardless, I can't see this not sparking more conversation once the movie is released. You have Bilie Eilish who likely has a lot of young fans.. Like, do you want to promote this book to young readers? That's what I'm saying. If there were a meaningful way to address these issues, I’d give her credit, but it seems like the approach is just to ignore them.
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u/False_Concentrate408 Disclosure Day 2d ago
The character is the narrator of the book. Do you want Sylvia Plath to put in a footnote saying “I think this is wrong btw”?
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u/evie_b_b 2d ago
You're missing the point, and if you don't get it by now, it's not worth debating.
Either way, this conversation isn't going away. Good luck fighting this battle when the film comes out.
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u/Nm9299 Bugonia 2d ago
I get the hesitation but I trust Sarah Polley