Billie Eilish understands that her Swarm character is sweet and inviting, but that doesn’t mean you should warm up to her.
In a Thursday (June 15) interview with Variety, the 21-year-old pop star broke down her standout performance in Prime Video’s Donald Glover-created series, which premiered in March and follows a young girl named Dre (Dominique Fishback) as she murders people in the name of her unknowing favorite artist, Ni’Jah (Nirine Brown). Eilish portrayed a demurely manipulative all-women cult leader named Eva who entraps Dre under the guise of “female empowerment.”
“Some of the fans have talked about how they love Eva [and think she’s] so comforting,” the Grammy winner told the publication. “Guys, no! It’s a front! She wants the worst of the worst! And that happens where people bring you in and make you feel comfortable and safe, and then they abuse the s–t out of that.”
The star also broke down a scene in which Eva tricks Dre into revealing her crimes, which leads to a physical altercation ending with Eilish’s character planting a kiss on Fishback. “It’s so f–ked up and classic,” Eilish reflected, noting that the directorial team wanted a “weird, seductive, sexual-but-also-not power dynamic” between the two characters. “This hippie, white b—h is gaslighting this Black girl, and then reaches out and grabs one of her f–king braids.”
The “Bad Guy” singer also confessed that she had wanted to try acting prior to Swarm, as both of her parents — Maggie Baird and Patrick O’Connell — were actors. However, she suppressed the desire because she thought she was “really bad” until Glover personally reached out to her about the role of Eva.
The show’s focus on toxic fandom is something Eilish has experience with as a real-life global pop star. “That fan passion is so real, and it’s so beautiful, but it’s also really scary,’’ she added. “And I think the show is a metaphor for this power — how people really are in the delusional nature of, ‘She’s gonna see me and we’re gonna be best friends!’ Fans are really, so powerful, and I think maybe they don’t realize how powerful they are.”
