Grab your heavily underlined copy of The Bell Jar, because Sylvia Plath’s iconic 1963 novel is getting a modern screen adaptation – and the casting room is already delivering. We might still be waiting to see who plays Esther’s patronising medical-student boyfriend Buddy Willard or her rebellious, NYC party-girl foil Doreen, but the headline news has already dropped: Billie Eilish is stepping into the shoes of our brilliant, unraveling protagonist, Esther Greenwood.
Backed by Carey Mulligan as Esther’s traditional, domestic mother, Mrs. Greenwood, and rumours that Heated Rivalry breakout Connor Storrie is joining the fold, this dream cast is shaping up to perfectly bridge mid-century institutional trauma with modern-day existential dread. Here is our breakdown of who’s who.
Esther Greenwood
Played by: Billie Eilish
Our protagonist and the book’s narrator. Esther is gifted, ambitious, a talented writer and from an unassuming background. She’s a college student, who just won a prestigious magazine internship in New York City. She’s someone who struggles with depression, her sense of self as well as societal expectations – all issues the Billie Eilish, the actor slated to play her, has spoken about (and written about) at length. While Eilish is relatively green (her previous acting role was in Donald Glover’s TV series Swarm back in 2023), we think she could be a perfect fit.
Buddy Willard
Played by: not yet announced
Buddy is Esther’s medical-student boyfriend who perfectly captures the “good on paper” but deeply flawed 1950s guy. He’s smart, but he constantly patronises Esther’s writing career. To make matters worse, he’s a total hypocrite who expects her to be pure while holding himself to a completely different standard.
Doreen
Played by: not yet announced
Esther’s fellow intern in NYC who is completely unapologetic, rebellious, and loves to party. She’s the ultimate wild-card friend who pushes Esther out of her comfort zone and shows her there’s a whole world outside her sheltered, traditional upbringing.
Joan Gilling
Played by: not yet announced
A college acquaintance who basically serves as Esther’s dark mirror image. They end up in the same psychiatric hospital dealing with similar mental health struggles, but Joan’s journey spotlights a totally different, heartbreaking side of what women went through in those institutions. Joan’s character was actually closely based on Jane Baltzell, a real-life Smith College classmate of Plath’s who, to Plath’s dismay, temporarily roomed near her in the psychiatric hospital.
Dr. Nolan
Played by: not yet announced
Esther’s incredibly compassionate and outside-the-box psychiatrist at the private hospital. She is a total lifesaver for Esther, offering genuine support and healing that stands in sharp contrast to the cold, male-dominated medical world of the era.
Philomena Guinea
Played by: not yet announced
The ultimate fairy godmother. She’s a wealthy, elderly novelist who not only funds Esther’s college scholarship but also foots the bill for her expensive private hospital stay when things get rough.
Mrs. Greenwood
Played by: Carey Mulligan
Esther’s hyper-practical mother who is all about traditional, domestic roles. Because she just doesn’t get Esther’s deep emotional and existential struggles, her well-meaning pressure ends up stressing Esther out even more.
Jay Cee
Played by: not yet announced
Esther’s brilliant, no-nonsense boss at the magazine (a direct nod to Mary Louise Aswell, a fiction editor at Mademoiselle magazine who took Plath under her wing in 1953). She’s a total career-woman role model who proves you can actually balance a massive job with a marriage—even if the whole idea still feels completely overwhelming to Esther.
Dr. Gordon
Played by: not yet announced
Esther’s first psychiatrist, who is completely arrogant and dismissive. He totally fails to understand what she’s going through and leaves her deeply traumatised after completely botching her electroshock therapy.
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