Focus Features has confirmed the supporting cast for Sarah Polley’s The Bell Jar, starring Billie Eilish in her feature acting debut, as production wraps on the film.
Eilish plays Esther Greenwood, the protagonist of Sylvia Plath’s novel, an aspiring young writer who lands a magazine internship in New York City while grappling with ambition, identity and mental health under the societal pressures of the 1950s, per Variety. Carey Mulligan, whose casting Variety first reported, plays Esther’s mother, Mrs. Greenwood.
The newly confirmed cast includes Danielle Deadwyler as Esther’s psychiatrist, Dr. Nolan; Ike Barinholtz as Lenny, a wealthy New York radio host; and Connor Storrie as Marco, Esther’s blind date. Dylan Hawco plays Buddy Willard, Esther’s first boyfriend; Lili Taylor plays Jay Cee, editor of Ladies’ Day magazine; Ella Beatty plays Joan, an acquaintance Esther later encounters at a mental hospital; and Maggie Kuntz plays Doreen, Esther’s best friend and fellow intern in New York.
What is ‘The Bell Jar’ about?
According to Deadline, Plath’s only novel is “a semi-autobiographical work charting a young woman’s descent into mental illness and the burden of societal pressures.” Originally published in 1963, the book mirrored Plath’s own struggles with depression; she died by suicide a month after its first UK publication. The novel became an instant bestseller in the U.S. and has since been translated into more than 40 languages, with millions of copies sold worldwide.
Who is behind ‘The Bell Jar’?
Polley directs from her own adapted screenplay, marking her first feature since winning the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Women Talking in 2023. The film is produced by Plan B, Studiocanal and Joy Coalition, with Focus Features distributing.
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