Billie Eilish Is Now Acting as the Bad Guy in Surprise TV Role

In the first look at her acting debut on Prime Video's Beyoncé-inspired series Swarm, Billie Eilish plays a mysterious finger-snapping hypnotist with evil intentions lurking below the surface.

By Daniel Trainor Mar 16, 2023 9:32 PMTags
Watch: See Billie Eilish’s Surprise Acting Debut in Swarm

Billie Eilish is rooting for the bad guy.

In the first look at the Grammy winner's surprise acting debut on Prime Video's Swarm, a blonde-haired Billie, playing some kind of intense hypnotist, snaps her fingers and gets Dre (Dominique Fishback) to change her name back from someone named Kayla. Once that's accomplished, Billie's character says to her, "Tell me something you regret."

That's when a montage of Dre performing all sorts of dirty deeds—including wiping up a bloody crime scene—is shown. Looks like Dre might have more than something she regrets. 

Back in her office, Billie's character asks Dre, "Did you hurt someone?" When Dre responds with a yes, Billie's character smiles and says, "Very good."

Premiering March 17, Swarm—co-created by Donald Glover and Janine Nabers—follows Dre whose obsession with an international pop star forces her on a dark and twisted journey across the country. And Billie isn't the only star expected to make an appearance. The limited series will also feature Chloe Bailey, Paris Jackson, Rickey Thompson and Rory Culkin.

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It doesn't take much detective work to figure out that the pop star at the center of the story, named Ni'Jah and played by Nirine S. Brown, has plenty in common with Beyoncé.

After all, Swarm—the name of Ni'Jah's cult-like fanbase—has a very similar ring to the BeyHive. And, let's not forget a clip from the series shows Dre opening up a new credit card in an attempt to buy pricey concert tickets on a Ticketmaster-like site. Apologies for the stressful flashbacks, Renaissance tour goers.

"BeyHive don't kill us," Glover joked in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, "it's not that bad, it's actually pretty cool!"

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