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Billie Eilish to Star in 'The Bell Jar' Adaptation
Confirmed
In Short: Billie Eilish will star in the film adaptation of Sylvia Plath's semi-autobiographical novel, 'The Bell Jar', marking her feature film acting debut.
Billie Eilish will star as Esther Greenwood in the upcoming film adaptation of Sylvia Plath's 1963 novel 'The Bell Jar', according to Variety. The movie, directed by Sarah Polley, will also feature an all-star cast including Lily Taylor, Ella Beatty, and Maggie Kuntz, among others.
Eilish, a two-time Oscar winner, will play the lead role of Esther Greenwood, an aspiring writer struggling with anxiety and societal expectations in 1950s New York. The film will also star Connor Storrie, Danielle Deadwyler as Dr. Nolan, and Ike Barinholtz as Lenny, a wealthy NYC radio host. The full cast was confirmed following the wrap of production.
The novel, which Plath wrote under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas, is a semi-autobiographical account of her own experiences with mental health and societal pressures. Eilish's casting was rumored back in July 2026, with the news officially confirmed by Focus Features on September 8.
Eilish has previously dabbled in acting, with notable appearances in television, but this will be her first major feature-film role. The film is set to be distributed by Focus Features and will be released in the U.S. on December 25, heading to the New York Film Festival before its theatrical release.
The adaptation marks a significant step in Eilish's acting career, as she transitions from the music world to the film industry. With an acclaimed supporting cast, including Carey Mulligan as Esther's mother, the film is expected to be a powerful and poignant exploration of mental health and societal expectations.
What's confirmed
- Connor Storrie has joined the cast of the upcoming movie adaptation of The Bell Jar.
- A release date for The Bell Jar is yet to be announced.
- Officials at Focus Features, the film's distributor, have confirmed the cast for the film, which will star two-time Oscar-winning singer-songwriter Billie Eilish in the role of Sylvia Plath's protagonist, Esther Greenwood.
- Eilish and Storrie will star alongside Danielle Deadwyler as Dr Nolan, Esther's psychiatrist; Ike Barinholtz as Lenny, a wealthy NYC radio host; Dylan Hawco as Buddy Willard; Lili Taylor as magazine editor Jay Cee; Ella Beatty as Joan; and Maggie Kuntz as Doreen.
- Eilish makes her film acting debut in Plath's semi-autobiographical story, which follows an aspiring young writer who lands a magazine internship in New York City and chronicles her struggles with ambition, identity and mental health amid the stifling societal expectations for women in the 1950s.
- Connor ‘s casting was rumored back in July 2026 when a Canadian museum posted that he was on site for filming of the movie, which will star Billie Eilish in the lead role for her feature film acting debut.
- The Bell Jar is the seminal, and only, novel written by Sylvia Plath.
What's still developing
- The cast for the Focus Features film will also include Lily Taylor ( To the Bone ) as Jay Cee, the editor of Ladies’ Day magazine, where Esther is hired as an intern, Ella Beatty ( If I Had Legs I’d Kick You ) as old friend Joan and Maggie Kuntz ( The Gilded Age ) as Doreen, a fellow intern and Esther’s best friend in N.Y.
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- Directed and adapted by Sarah Polley, The Bell Jar follows Esther Greenwood, a 19-year-old woman whose life begins to unravel while she is interning at a fictional New York fashion magazine.
- Isabella is a writer for Instinct Magazine who lives and breathes all things pop culture and LGBTQ+.
- In other words, anyone coming into The Bell Jar expecting Storrie to deliver another charming, swoon-worthy performance may want to emotionally prepare themselves.