Billie Eilish (24) is poised to step onto a new stage—and it’s far bigger than any concert venue. According to an exclusive report from Deadline, the two-time Oscar winner is in advanced negotiations to star in a film adaptation of Sylvia Plath’s sole novel, The Bell Jar (German title: Die Glasglocke). It would be her first-ever appearance as an actress in a feature film.
Eilish is slated to portray the lead character Esther Greenwood. The role of the young woman who buckles under the pressure of societal expectations would suit her. The musician has long been known for her introspective, often dark lyrics that wrestle with inner conflicts.
Director is slated to be Oscar-winner Sarah Polley, who has recently drawn international attention with The Speech and the drama By Her Side. Polley also wrote the screenplay. The U.S. distributor Focus Features is said to be close to closing a deal.
Record-Breaking Career, A New Chapter
Eilish has already set standards in her career that few before her have matched. With ten Grammy Awards and two Oscars for Best Original Song, she is among the most decorated musicians of her generation. She earned her first Oscar in 2022 for the James Bond theme “No Time to Die,” and the second in 2024 for “What Was I Made For?” from the Barbie movie. At 22 years old, she became the youngest two-time Oscar winner in history—and the only winner born in the 21st century.
Plath’s novel was published in 1963. The work semi-autobiographically depicts Greenwood’s mental breakdown. It also reflects Plath’s own experiences with depression. The writer herself suffered from the illness and died by suicide shortly after the book’s publication. In the United States the book quickly became a bestseller and has since been translated into more than 40 languages.
Until now, a significant adaptation of Plath’s novel has happened only once before: In 1979, Larry Peerce directed a cinema adaptation with Marilyn Hassett and Julie Harris in the lead roles.
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