Donald Glover's New TV Series Reveals Surprise Cast Member

By Jenna Anderson

After making an undeniable stamp on the television world with Atlanta, Donald Glover is about to take things into an even wilder direction with Swarm. The new Prime Video series, which is co-created by Glover and Janine Nabers, has already made headlines for the fact that it will lampoon modern pop star fandom. Now, it looks like those efforts will include a real-life pop star, with confirmation that Billie Eilish will be making her acting debut in Swarm. On Thursday, Prime Video released a new clip from Swarm, which reveals that Eilish is portraying a character named Eva.

What is Swarm about? 

Swarm tells the story of Dre, a young woman who is obsessed with a fictional pop star with a fanbase known as "The Swarm". The show is a dive into Dre's life, her fandom, and how it takes her to dark, unexpected places. The series stars Dominique Fishback as Dre, Chloe Bailey as Marissa, and Damson Idris as Dre's boyfriend. Rickey Thompson, Paris Jackson, Rory Culkin, Kiersey Clemons, and Byron Bowers are also cast in currently-unknown roles.

Janine Nabers is the showrunner, co-creator, and executive producer of Swarm. Donald Glover is a co-creator and executive producer. Executive producers include Stephen Glover, Fam Udeorji, Steven Prinz, and Michael Schaefer. 

"We know that the show is propulsive," Nabers explained during a recent screening of the series at SXSW. "We know that it's going to evoke a lot of conversation. We know that people are going to have a lot of responses and may be angry or really inspired. So I just want you guys to know that if you have any feelings after watching this, and if you really want to tweet about it, then tweet at Donald."

"I started to be like, 'Do I want to do this? I'm afraid,'" Fishback added. "And then I thought about different artists who did things they were afraid of. And I had to journal and pray. I asked myself: What gave me pause and why? And if I could identify what the pause was in me, then I could address it. But if it was because of perception of what somebody else was going to [think], then I wasn't doing a service to my own artistry to the gift that God gave me and the reason I'm here. So, yes, it's very nerve-wracking to hear what people have to say. But I'm very proud that I was afraid to try something different [and did it anyway]."

The first season of Swarm will debut exclusively on Prime Video on Friday, March 17th.

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