Tilda Swinton is an actor like no other, with wide-ranging roles in films like "Doctor Strange"
and "Suspiria.”
It may have been a while since Swinton's last big movie, but that doesn't mean she hasn't
been busy.
Here's why you may not have seen very much of Swinton lately.
When Swinton first began her acting career, she moved to London to work with the Royal
Shakespeare Company.
However, she moved back to her childhood home of Scotland once she had grown tired of the
city life.
A small-town homebody at heart, she has made a comfortable life for herself and her family
in the Scottish Highlands.
As she said in an interview for Esquire,
"I mean, I've even lost the way of living in a city.
If I had to live in a city again, it would take me a long time.
You have to train up to live in a city."
Today, Swinton says that she rarely visits London anymore and feels that she is "out
of touch" with the industry there.
Although she does occasionally think about moving back to a city, she has no plans to
do so in the near future.
Swinton has fans all around the world, but she couldn't tell you what they are saying
about her online, thanks to her decision to stay off social media entirely.
The actor considers herself a, quote, "complete Luddite," telling Vogue,
"I have no presence on social media, absolutely none…
I just have other things to do.
I know it's going on.
It's like there's a forest on fire somewhere down the end of the garden, but I'm concentrating
on the roses."
While Swinton's fans would probably love to see her on Twitter or Instagram, it's unlikely
she'll be creating an account anytime soon.
"Application denied!
I'm sorry!"
Despite her bulky resume, Swinton insists that she is not an ambitious person, saying,
"I've never had any ambition as an artist.
That may sound crazy and transgressive, but it's a fact,"
In fact, Swinton has admitted that she does not even think of herself as a traditional
actress, even though she's been acting for over 30 years.
While she will certainly accept the opportunity to appear in a blockbuster franchise when
the chance comes around, she isn't specifically seeking out these roles.
And Swinton doesn't go to auditions anymore, either — she's accomplished enough that
directors come to her.
Overall, she will always put passion over potential profits.
For Swinton, the director she's working with is often more important than the film itself.
She has worked at least three times each with directors Wes Anderson, Jim Jarmusch, and
Luca Guadagnino.
In the early years of her career, she worked closely with director Derek Jarman on several
more experimental films, which taught her that supportive relationships with directors
who shared her vision were the key to artistic fulfillment.
In an interview, Swinton told The Independent,
"We are used to actors moving from project to project in a slightly detached way, or
that they are looking over their shoulder for a more interesting project, or more money,
but that is not how I approach [it]…
I need to work with people that I can trust.
I always choose the people first."
Swinton is far more likely to wait for an intriguing role with the right director, even
if it means passing up roles that other actors might have jumped at.
Swinton knows that a great film can take time, which is why she's willing to spend several
years patiently working to give a single project the attention it deserves.
Swinton states that this kind of focused, long-term attention makes her process unique,
allowing her to personally develop her roles alongside her directors and writers.
She revealed to Variety,
"Most people don't develop work the way I customarily do… they'll wait for someone
to place them into their universe with proper crafts­people.
Whereas I spend most of my time sitting around my kitchen table with friends, chewing on
ideas and building things that take years."
Swinton spent five years working on the film "Orlando" with director Sally Potter, and
she dedicated, quote, "seven or eight years" to "Only Lovers Left Alive."
She even spent as many as 11 years committed to her role in "I Am Love," learning both
Russian and Italian to make her character seem as realistic as possible.
Swinton's name rarely makes it into the tabloids, and even when it does, she isn't very interested
in joining in the conversation, rarely feeling the need to clarify details about her personal
and romantic life with the press.
In fact, it often takes her a while to hear through the grapevine if there is a rumor
spreading about her in the first place.
She joked,
"I'm playful at heart… and myth-making is always fun."
For instance, when Swinton began dating artist Sandro Kopp, the press speculated that she
had first gotten together with Kopp during her relationship with her previous partner
of 14 years, playwright John Byrne.
The gossip spread for years before Swinton realized what was being said and had to come
forward to state that it was nothing but a rumor.
"I mean, this is really inappropriate."
If Swinton hasn't been filming blockbusters, what has she been working on?
While fans of Swinton might have caught her latest big-name projects, some of her recent
work has flown under the radar.
In 2020, she lent her voice to the late composer Jóhann Jóhannsson for his experimental film
"Last and First Men."
The movie explores a futuristic society in which evolved humans face potential extinction,
and surreal monuments beam out messages into the universe.
Swinton also worked on several short films in 2020.
She narrated "Story and the Writer," which explored a man's efforts to write the perfect
screenplay.
In addition, she appeared in Pedro Almodóvar's "The Human Voice," in which she played a woman
who notes the passing of time while she waits for her ex-lover to come and pick up his suitcases.
While the short was not widely viewed, it did receive some glowing reviews.
As critic Ryan Rojas wrote in a review for Cinemacy,
"Tilda Swinton commands every second of the small screen in Pedro Almodóvar's beautifully
staged and winkingly meta new short film."
In August, 2020, "The Personal History of David Copperfield" was released.
Armando Iannucci's comedic drama adapted Charles Dickens' classic story for the modern age,
starring Dev Patel as the title character.
Swinton portrayed Betsey Trotwood, David Copperfield's eccentric great-aunt, who takes him in and
ends up financing his dream of becoming an author.
"Shoo, shoo, shoo!
Off my lawn!
I'll box your ears!
Off you go!
This is a donkey-free zone!
Move it!"
Although critics held a generally positive opinion of the film, that didn't prevent it
from being a flop at the box office.
The timing of its release certainly didn't help, as the film arrived in theaters in the
midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, once a majority of movie theaters had temporarily closed down
for safety reasons.
The pandemic disrupted the production schedule for countless movies and TV shows.
Many directors had to postpone shooting for months on end, leaving lots of release dates
in limbo.
While some studios have chosen to release their new films through streaming services,
others have decided simply to delay their releases, meaning audiences will have to wait
a little while longer to see them.
That was the case for Swinton's highly anticipated movie "The French Dispatch."
The Wes Anderson flick was originally slated for a July 2020 release, likely at the Cannes
Film Festival.
However, the festival was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the tentative
release date was pushed to October 2020 - which was again postponed until 2021.
Swinton also has experience behind the camera.
She is currently working on a documentary about progressive education systems around
the world.
Swinton has been interested in creating schools that encourage students to reach their full
potential for years, having co-founded the Drumduan Upper School in Scotland, where her
own children attended.
The school does not require students to take tests or even sit at desks most of the time,
so it's likely that her documentary will focus on unorthodox approaches to education.
This won't be Swinton's first time directing.
In 2008, she was one of several directors for the documentary "The New Ten Commandments,"
which explores human rights in Scotland.
And in 2016, she collaborated with several other directors for the film "The Seasons
in Quincy: Four Portraits of John Berger," a tribute to the respected novelist.
While it might seem like Swinton has been laying low, she has been as busy as ever,
having been working on several upcoming projects for some time.
First up is her film "The Souvenir: Part II," a sequel to her 2019 film "The Souvenir" in
which she stars alongside her daughter, Honor Swinton Byrne.
Her movie The Eternal Daughter is also anticipated to release in 2021.
Multiple upcoming Swinton films have yet to gain official release dates, but fans can
expect to see her in films such as the fantasy epic "Three Thousand Years of Longing" and
the drama "Memoria."
She's also going to be voicing the Fairy with Turquoise Hair in Guillermo del Toro's dark
adaptation of the classic story "Pinocchio."
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Looper videos about your favorite actors are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.