Actress Spotlight: Tilda Swinton
She stars in George Miller's "Three Thousand Years of Longing" this weekend
We’re back from a two-week summer break, movie people! Before we drop some fresh recs for you this week, check out Drew’s podcast appearance over at another Substack publication, The Embassy. He joined to discuss Everything Everywhere All at Once, the idea of the multiverse, and much more.
One of the most intelligent and transformational actors working today, Tilda Swinton has appeared in Hollywood blockbusters, low-budget experimental films, and everything in between. Swinton co-stars in director George Miller’s Three Thousand Years of Longing with Idris Elba, out in theaters this weekend. While she isn’t always in the center of the screen, it’s always a treat to see Swinton show up in a movie. We’ve recommended a few of our favorite performances of hers for your viewing pleasure.
Billy recommends…
The Dead Don’t Die
Tilda Swinton has an ability to lift any moment she is in. She is completely aware of the objective of each role no matter the scale of her part. In The Dead Don’t Die, directed by the legendary Jim Jarmusch, she plays a quirky funeral home owner who always has a samurai sword on her hip. She is one of many notable actors in incredibly small roles that bring a weird dynamic to this no-panic zombie apocalypse movie.
The Dead Don’t Die is a wink-at-the-audience look at how small-town Middle America would react to a weird phenomenon. This town is seen through the eyes of many rotating characters, but our main group is the small police department led by Bill Murray, Adam Driver, and Chloe Sevigny. When things begin to turn there is a mixture of denial and immediate acceptance. The first weird thing to happen is that the sun is not going down at the same time of night it normally does. No worry from the town folk. It is strange, but there are other things to worry about. The best part of this movie is that it doesn’t dwell in the mystery of it all. Before it is accepted that zombies are the problem we have Driver’s character immediately name it as a zombie apocalypse.
Our entertainment comes from the ability to bring a ton of movie stars into a silly zombie romp that doesn’t have much desire outside of having fun making a movie. Jarmusch pokes fun at two of our main stars, Driver and Swinton, by making them play versions of characters they already play. Or plant very obvious trinkets in the hands of them. Driver has a Death Star keychain and Swinton is essentially playing a small town version of her MCU character.
Seeing all of these stars together and fully committing to a goofy plot will always make me smile. Most of these actors are ones that we may never see do this again. They have either outgrown this type of role or typically do different stuff. Swinton however, has always shown how she embraces/enjoys the commitment to the weird no matter how large or small the role is. Her rise in stature has never seemingly taken that from her.
Available to rent on digital platforms
Drew recommends…
Michael Clayton
How is it that Tilda Swinton has only been nominated for one Oscar? And why was it for Michael Clayton? And what was it about the performance that led to her win? Let’s try to answer those in order: Because her taste is much more eclectic and interesting than the Academy’s. Because she was playing somewhat against-type in Michael Clayton as legal counsel for a shady corporation. And because she crushes the final scene of the movie.
Without giving too much away for those who haven’t seen it, Swinton is on unequal ground with Michael Clayton, George Clooney’s law firm “fixer,” in this scene. The scales of power have tipped and Swinton’s Karen Crowder, counsel for an agricultural conglomerate that has covered up the tragic effects of their toxic products, is suddenly desperate and confused. Just the mere presence of Clayton has unsettled her, and Swinton subtly plays Karen’s increasing anxiety with searching eyes, a stunned slack jaw, and, finally, trembling fear. She may not have more than a few scenes in the movie, but one memorable last scene vaulted her to Oscar glory. (Plus, she ended her Oscar acceptance speech with a joke about Clooney as Batman, which was the best.)
Streaming on Netflix
Snowpiercer
As one of our foremost chameleonic actors, Tilda Swinton clearly relishes a role with crazy costumes and makeup. In Snowpiercer, director Bong Joon-ho’s apocalyptic train thriller, Swinton gets the chance to sink her (oversized prop) teeth into the character of Minister Mason, the monstrously silly second-in-command aboard the train. With her out-of-place regal outfit, coke-bottle glasses, and Yorkshire accent, Minister Mason was designed to lampoon history’s most clownish authoritarian political figures. The effect is a character that is equally laughable and terrifying.
Swinton hits all the right notes in the part, leaning into the ridiculous appearance and physicality while holding onto Mason’s amoral spirit. Most importantly, Swinton matches Bong’s comedic timing and sense of humor wonderfully (and they would team up again a few years later for Okja). Bong’s films are a tonal high-wire act, and Swinton fully understands his intention with this deviously entertaining villain.
Available to rent on digital platforms
Links
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