Earlier this year, we caught wind that Billie Eilish—that reigning queen of youthful melancholy—will star in a film adaptation of Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar.
Directed by the acclaimed Sarah Polley, this project marks Eilish’s first leap onto the big screen. Plath purists are divided over the casting, but one thing is clear: this is a topic we’ll be discussing for quite some time.
Photos from the set have already begun to surface, inviting playful conjecture. Here’s what we know (so far) about the brand-new The Bell Jar.
Eilish looks utterly transformative to fans. Earlier this month, Vogue reported on her character’s transformation. In set photos, the star-known for an androgynous cut and neon locks-was spotted “wearing a short-sleeved knit top in scarlet red; a full, A-line skirt in a jaunty check print; and, on the beauty front, a tidy side part and a bold red lip.” Mad Women, anyone?
The mid-century makeover comes courtesy of Luis Sequeira, the costume designer renowned for his work on The Shape of Water.
An old Canadian orphanage doubles as the hospital in the tale. Polley, herself Canadian, has apparently pulled a familiar stunt and chosen Toronto to stand in for New York.
Sections of Hamilton, including McMaster University and Ancaster’s Tamahaac Club, will also appear in veiled cameos. The latter served as a tuberculosis sanatorium in its prime, a detail that feels oddly thematically appropriate.
According to this morning’s Hamilton Spectator, the production is currently filming crucial scenes at a Catholic girls’ school and at a former orphanage. Mount Mary Immaculate will play the notorious Walton Hospital, where Esther Greenwood endures her first doomed rounds of ECT.
This setting carries a remarkably eerie vibe. Until recently, Mount Mary was overseen by a Ukrainian Catholic Congregation and “once housed an orphanage, a daycare, and a high school for girls.” The Diocese of Hamilton acquired the site in 2019, though nuns continue to reside there. And presumably, so do the resident ghosts.
The school, unlike Eilish, has previously graced the screen. A scene from the 2017 film It was shot there.
More casting chatter is rounding out the ensemble. Carey Mulligan is reportedly lined up to portray Mrs. Greenwood, Esther’s mother—an announcement likely to give a shiver to readers who remember the passing of time.
And Deadline reported last week that Ella Beatty—known for Netflix’s forthcoming Lizzie Borden biopic, and the parental figure you might expect—has entered “final talks” to join the cast in a still-mysterious capacity. (Betsy, perhaps?)
The other major rumor centers on Connor Storrie of Heated Rivalry. The recently buzz-cut hockey star—considered a close friend to Canada—is also said to be in the mix.
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