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Debutante
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Swinton made her film debut alongside Sean Bean in the 1986 British historical drama “Caravaggio”, based on the life of Baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Here is a young Swinton sitting next to director Ken Russell at the Cannes Film Festival in 1987 where they would present their 1987 film “Aria”. Can you spot John Hurt in the background?
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'90s Style
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At the Venice Film Festival, the world's oldest film festival, the Volpi Cup is awarded to the year’s best actress. In 1992, the honour belonged to Swinton for her portrayal of Isabella of France in 1991’s “Edward II”. In 1992, she starred as the medieval nobleman Orlando in Sally Potter's “Orlando”. At the film’s New York premiere on June 2, 1993, she’s the toast of New York and we bet that’s her lip colour, too. Paired with that band collar, it’s classic ‘90s.
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'The Maybe'
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This is not a film of hers that you’ve missed, this is a whole different medium. Along with movies and fashion, Swinton has a knack for the subtleties of performance art. In 1995, she was on display to the public for eight hours a day for a week in a glass case, in a piece of performance art called “The Maybe”, at the Serpentine Gallery in London. Enclosed in the box, she slept or appeared to. She performed “The Maybe” again at the Museo Barracco in Rome in 1996 and in 2013 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
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'The Deep End'
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Her turn as middle-class mother Margaret Hall in the 2001 American thriller proved to her breakout role. Despite over a decade of heavy lifting in foreign historical dramas, it was “The Deep End” that finally put Swinton on Hollywood’s radar. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance. She continued to attract attention on the red carpet, as illustrated here by her arrival at the Cannes 2002 Palmares Awards ceremony.
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Big in Scotland
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In 2003, Swinton joined fellow Scott Ewan McGregor in the erotic drama “Young Adam”. Based on the novel, the film is set in Scotland in 1954 and man, oh man, as much as folks liked it in North America, across the pond it was a sensation. BAFTA Scotland named it Best Film and named McGregor as Best Actor in a Scottish Film, Swinton as Best Actress in a Scottish Film, and David Mackenzie (also a Scot) as Best Director. At the British Independent Film Awards, McGregor, Swinton and Mackenzie were nominated, and so was the film. Mackenzie won the award for Best New British Feature at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and the London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Newcomer of the Year. The London Film Critic's Circle was all over it. You get the idea. Here is another winning red carpet look from Swinton, alongside McGregor at film’s premier at the New York Film Festival.
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The Clooney Bump
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It’s crazy to think of even catching a glimpse of George Clooney, let alone goofing around with him on the red carpet. Clooney probably feels the same way about Swinton, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the 2007 film “Michael Clayton”, which she starred in alongside Clooney. Here, the pair are posing at Swinton’s ol’ stomping grounds, the Venice Film Festival, in 2007.
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Wardrobe Wonder
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In stunning costumes, Swinton played the unrelentingly evil witch Jadis in 2005’s big-budget adaptation of “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”. She reprised the role in 2008 in “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”. (And did you notice her cameo as a centaur at the end?) She returned to the role for 2010’s “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”. That crown! Her hair! The fur stole! Epic.
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'The Grand Budapest Hotel'
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When you have such a striking visage, why cover it with prosthetics? It’s all in service of the character. Starring as Madame D., Swinton is unrecognizable as an elderly woman in the 2014 Wes Anderson film. She's pictured here alongside Paul Schlase, Tony Revolori and Ralph Fiennes. Just prior to this project, she played the part of David Bowie's wife in the video for "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)", directed by Canadian-Italian film director Floria Sigismondi. She engaged in the absurd again in 2018’s ‘Suspiria’.
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Brace For It
Netflix
If you’re like us, you appreciate when small details are attended to on film. Sure, “Dallas Buyers Club” was wonderful, but did you really buy that Ron, the ill, hard-living rodeo rider, would have the perfect teeth of Matthew McConaughey? All this is to say that Swinton’s character in the 2017 action-adventure movie “Okja” wears braces on her teeth. She is marvelous as weirdo CEO Lucy Mirando of the Mirando Corporation.
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A Mentorship Role
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For the first time since her foray into Narnia, Swinton returned to blockbuster territory by taking on the role of the Ancient One, mentor to Doctor Strange, in the Marvel movies “Doctor Strange” in 2016 and “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019. She portrayed an androgenous, Celtic version of the character, the role had traditionally been played by older Asian men.
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Looking Sharp
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The comedy/horror movie 'The Dead Don't Die' begins ominously when farmer Frank Miller realizes he is missing a chicken. Cue: Zombies! UFOs! Aliens! In addition to Swinton, who plays a run-of-the-mill undertaker/sword enthusiast, this 2019 movie features an indie movie lover’s dream lineup: Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Rosie Perez, Iggy Pop, RZA, Carol Kane, Selena Gomez and Tom Waits.
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‘The Human Voice’
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As Swinton hits 60 she shows no sign of slowing, and why should she? Earlier this fall, she starred in “The Human Voice”, a 30-minute short film by Pedro Almodóvar. It’s based on the one-act Jean Cocteau play of the same name. The New York Times called the film -- shot in Spain in nine days in July -- the ‘ultimate lockdown film.’ “The Human Voice” premiered at the Venice Film Festival (pictured) to positive reviews, naturally. Some things never change.
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