There is nothing Tilda Swinton cannot accomplish. The 56-year-old actress is presently appearing in Bong Joon Ho's "Okja," which is now accessible on Netflix and is the latest in a long line of roles that have fundamentally changed the way we see Swinton on the big screen. The actress changes her appearance and demeanor from part to role, refusing to offer spectators the same performance twice and continually pushing the boundaries of her talent. She's the closest thing to a cinematic chameleon we have.
The phrase "unrecognizable" is frequently used when discussing Swinton's latest work, and with good cause. But what unifies her many distinct performances is a steadfast dedication to her characters, no matter how bizarre and outlandish they may be.
Today we celebrate Swinton's talents with 12 amazing movie transformations.
#1 Suspiria (2018)
Source: WILLY VANDERPERRE/AMAZON STUDIOS; AMAZON STUDIOS
While Swinton plays the mysterious dance director Madame Blanc, it's her fierce dedication to her secret second role — for which she wore a "weighty set of genitalia" just to feel the prosthetics "dangling between her legs," according to makeup artist Mark Coulier — that propels Suspiria to the top of the list.
#2 Snowpiercer (2013)
Source: RADIUS/THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY
Snowpiercer, Swinton's first work with Bong Joon-ho and the filmmaker's debut English-language feature, ranks among her best. There are so many unusual and imaginative aspects at work here: the teeth, the medals, the accent. It's tough to recognize and pick apart Swinton's Minister Mason well enough to uncover the actress underneath. But, isn't that what it is to be transformed?
#3 The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Source: MARTIN SCALI/FOX SEARCHLIGHT
Wes Anderson isn't one to skimp on the details, and he and Swinton didn't with the creation of Madame D., the very old, very rich lady who dies and leaves a priceless artwork to the concierge of the Grand Budapest Hotel. Look at the wrinkly skin, the static pile of hair, and the sloppy lipstick application!
#4 The Zero Theorem (2013)
Source: Stage 6 Films
Swinton appears as Dr. Shrink-Rom, an AI therapist who seems as an appropriately comical version of a real doctor, with her strange triangle haircut, enormous earrings, and aggressive houndstooth skirt suit, in the third installment of Terry Gilliam's Brazil trilogy.
#5 Doctor Strange (2016)
Source: JAY MAIDMENT/MARVEL
If Swinton were to star in a superhero film, it could only be like this. Swinton wore little visible makeup and even less hair as Doctor Strange's enigmatic sorcerer The Ancient One — a character who had previously been represented as masculine — coupled with her mystic robes and transcendent serenity.
#6 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
Source: MGM
Swinton appears chilly and royal as Jadis, Narnia's White Witch, right down to her dazzling eyelashes. The outfit is plainly excessive — with the beautifully coiled hair, icicle tiara, and masses of furs — but Swinton looks so natural as the fantastical queen.
#7 Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
Source: SANDRO KOPP/SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
The vampires in Jim Jarmusch's vampire romance are portrayed as intelligent artist-poet-scientists who spend their days lounging around in their shades and sipping small injections of exquisite, hospital-grade O-negative. Swinton, transformed into the centuries-old Eve, fits wonderfully into this melancholy image of rock & roll vamps.
#8 Orlando (1992)
Source: LIAM LONGMAN/SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
Tilda Swinton is barely recognizable in period costumes and long, coppery red hair as the titular character in Sally Potter's adaptation of Virginia Woolf's novel. However, the actress' metamorphosis pales in comparison to Orlando's: After magically remaining youthful for several centuries in England's past, the androgynous young nobleman transforms into a young noblewoman, only to discover that, while they are very much the same person, the world around them — and how they see it — is hardly recognizable.
#9 Okja (2017)
Source: KIMBERLY FRENCH/NETFLIX
In Tilda Swinton's second Bong Joon-ho film, Okja, she plays twin sisters Lucy and Nancy, opposite sides of the same wicked coin. Lucy, pictured below, emerges first to expose the corporate strategy that serves as the plot's impetus — and if her unusual peppiness didn't already designate her as a certain type of insane, the oddity of her severe platinum hairstyle and the pink lipstick that draws emphasis to her braces should.
#10 Moonrise Kingdoom (2012)
Source: FOCUS FEATURES
Swinton appears entirely human as the austere Social Services in Wes Anderson's coming-of-age comedy. However, Social Services, who also refers to herself in the third person, is virtually indistinguishable from Tilda Swinton due to her perfectly sculpted red hair, flippy jacket, and jaunty hat.
#11 Trainwreck (2012)
Source: MARY CYBULSKI/FOX
Swinton appears as traditional as you'll find on our list as the shallow magazine editor Dianna in the bawdy rom-com Trainwreck. But Swinton's false honey-gold beach waves and even faker tan are just as unsettling.
#12 The Limits of Control (2019)
Source: TERESA ISASI-ISASMENDI/FOCUS FEATURES
Swinton wore monochrome with a platinum wig and long trench coat as "The Blonde" in Jim Jarmusch's artistic The Limits of Control, her second collaboration with the filmmaker, with the exception of her vivid green eyes and a strong lip.