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Asteroid City (2023)

Pinocchio (2022)

The Human Voice (2020)

Dr Strange (2016)

Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022)

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Snowpiercer (2013)

We Need to Talk about Kevin (2011)

The Chronicles of Narnia (2005)

Orlando (1992)

Caravaggio (1986)

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Tilda Swinton | Actress, Producer, Writer

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Known for: We Need to Talk About Kevin, Snowpiercer, Michael Clayton

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Swinton does not appear to have an Instagram account that solely belongs to here. Here is an account that I found with 90 thousand followers (at the time of writing this) but it is most likely run by a fan but has also not been updated in a while. This account does though have photos Swinton has done for independent photographers and magazines.

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Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.

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While it's quite vague, Swinton does have a very neutral, androgynous and sometimes arguably strange appearance. The reason this is mentioned is because this allows her to play a wide range of characters in a lot of different ways. This almost "alien" appearance of hers can be seen in characters such as "The Ancient One" in Marvel's Dr Strange or "The White Witch" in The Chronicles of Narnia.

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The characters played by Swinton are usually quite strange looking owing to the acresses appearance. In Dr Strange (2016) she is completely bald which adds to the character's mystery and power. Her other characters are tend to also be scholars as seen in Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022) and Asteroid City (2023).

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One of her most interesting performances was as Eva Khatcherdorian in We Need to Talk about Kevin. The film is all about transformation and how Eva's life changes with the birth of her first child Kevin. The film captures Eva's uncertainty with her life and how it is going to change and transform.

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We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) - US Trailer - HD Movie

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What I found interesting is that Swinton does not have any official social media accounts. While most celebrities and stars have social media in order to promote content that they are working on, Swinton does not engage with social media at all.

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Swinton is known for her wild transformations for acting roles, often wearing extravingant makeup and SFX to change how she looks to fit her roles even better. She says that "The thing that keeps me being a performer is my interest in society's obsession with identity" and that she mentions how "I'm not sure that I really believe identity exists".

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Tilda Swinton: collaborative chameleon who doesn't court Hollywood (2015)

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Tilda Swinton: collaborative chameleon who doesn't court Hollywood (2015)

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It tells you a lot about Tilda Swinton that the transformation which has rendered her unrecognisable is the one in which she appears most conventional.

In the forthcoming comedy Trainwreck, Swinton plays a monstrous magazine editor, Dianna, and pictures released this week show her looking far from the Swinton - all shorn hair, pale scrubbed face and architectural clothing - we have come to expect. Dianna has blow-dried, highlighted hair, nice makeup and a tan, which has prompted some to note that Swinton, who has played men, robots and an octogenarian, has "never been more disguised".

The shapeshifting Swinton seems impossible to get a handle on. "The thing that keeps me being a performer is my interest in society's obsession with identity," she has said, "because I'm not sure that I really believe identity exists."

Swinton is from that long tradition of delightfully bonkers British aristocrats, but she is also someone who seems otherworldly - the most avant garde of arthouse stars who is moving into blockbusters , and an Oscar-winner who never courted Hollywood. She looks severe, but friends talk about her playfulness and sense of humour.

She is wildly unconventional, but her early life is rooted in the establishment. Her mother, Judith, was Australian, while her father is Major General Sir John Swinton. She was sent to boarding schools from the age of 10, then went to Cambridge University. She once said she was expected to marry a duke.

While at university, Swinton briefly joined the Communist party, drawn to its ethos of collective effort, and it is this collaborative streak which appears key to everything she does.

Tilda Swinton in Caravaggio. Photograph: Allstar/Cinetext/BFI

After university she would form one of the most significant collaborative relationships of her career, when she met the radical and subversive film-maker Derek Jarman. He cast Swinton in his 1986 film Caravaggio, and they would go on to make another six films together until his death in 1994 (there was no money in them, and Swinton lived off the spoils of gambling on the horses).

"I remember Derek meeting her and saying 'I've found her'," says Sarah Radclyffe, who produced Caravaggio. "Derek, when he first met people, always used to film them on Super 8 or video, and I remember us all looking at these images and thinking, 'Oh my God, yes.' She very obviously has screen presence."

Radclyffe describes Swinton and Jarman as "kindred spirits ... They just really clicked. They trusted each other, loved [each other's] intellect."

Jarman's films, though hugely influential on a generation of film-makers, did not have a big audience and it wasn't until the 1992 film Orlando, directed by Sally Potter, that she came to wider attention. Potter had seen Swinton in Jarman's work and in the film Friendship's Death, directed by Peter Wollen, in which she played a robot, and had been struck by her presence.

"We met and I knew precisely that she was the person I wanted to play Orlando," says Potter. "[She had a] radiant intelligence at the core, and a certain kind of androgyny - it was as if she wasn't tied in to either a gender or a time. She had openness and humour, but above all this luminosity of presence."

Potter needed an actor who could carry the character through 400 years of history, changing sex halfway through, and she knew she had found that in Swinton, someone who could radiate "the inner life of any human being, male or female".

Swinton is, says Potter, "collaborative by instinct". Orlando was several years in development, "but she was extremely loyal and committed to the idea through that period".

Endless drafts of the script would be sent to Swinton, says Potter. "She has a very good critical intelligence and she was a good reader, commentator and giver of energy."

Lynn Hershman Leeson, an artist and filmmaker, who has also worked closely with Swinton, saw her in Orlando and approached her with the idea of making Conceiving Ada, Leeson's 1997 film in which Swinton plays the 19th-century computer programmer Ada Lovelace. They made two further films together and their friendship has spanned 20 years.

"She's intelligent and brings so much to whatever you're doing," says Leeson. "It makes my job easier to have somebody like her there because she's smarter than I am and gives me great ideas.

"Some things were improvised," says Leeson. "The way I shoot is very fast, we don't rehearse a lot. She always had great insight and creativity and the uncanny ability to bring a different dimension, almost chameleon-like, to what she does. It lifts everything to a completely different level."

Most of Swinton's projects, from Jarman's films onwards, have come about as a result of long-term friendships and working relationships with film-makers such as Lynne Ramsey, who cast her in We Need to Talk About Kevin, and Luca Guadagnino, with whom she has worked on four films.

"Usually, with me, the project is always the second thing," Swinton has said. "The film-maker comes first. Films grow out of the relationship."

For their part, the film-makers seem as committed to Swinton. Potter describes their relationship as "a very deep form of work-love".

After Orlando, Swinton continued to work largely on small budget, arthouse films, and also on other projects, such as her 1995 performance piece The Maybe, in which she slept in a glass box for a week in the Serpentine Gallery.

Tilda Swinton in The Maybe at Moma in New York, 2013. Photograph: Andrew Gombert/EPA

When Swinton started to take roles in more commercial films, these projects were still with directors at the indie end of the spectrum. She began to receive more mainstream attention after appearing in Danny Boyle's 2001 film The Beach, in which she played Sal, a charismatic commune leader. Later, she would work with others including Wes Anderson, Terry Gilliam, the Coen brothers and Jim Jarmusch.

Mike Mills directed Swinton in the 2005 film Thumbsucker, in which she plays the mother of an angst-ridden teenager. "She did the very unusual thing of meeting me before she had even read the script," says Mills. "She was big-hearted and inviting and gung ho and willing."It is so hard to get independent films made and she is a real advocate," says Mills. "She did much more than be an actor in a movie - she helped get financing, helped get other actors and, for me personally, she was a real ally and supporter."

Meanwhile as an actor, says Mills, despite "being as intelligent and cerebral as she is, when she acts she is very physical and intuitive".

Tilda Swinton with George Clooney in Michael Clayton. Photograph: image.net

Mills is not surprised that Swinton has gone on to more mainstream films, such as Michael Clayton, for which she won an Oscar for best supporting actress as a desperately unravelling attorney for a corrupt company, opposite George Clooney.

"She's a cultural advocate who uses acting as a way to push culture forward," says Mills, who thinks she enjoys being "part of the mainstream cultural conversation - not for an ego thing but to play [a part in] the narrative in the way we shape our identities.

"I think that is a big part of why she likes to act and be in movies - to use her privileges to make a broader world, broaden our judgment, especially of women."

You wonder what Hollywood must make of her. In a town where allegedly everyone is desperate to be a movie star, you still get the sense Swinton could take it or leave it. What drives Swinton? "She is an artist," says Leeson. "She works in many mediums and I think it's very exciting to her to push the edges of things, as most good artists do. They don't like to repeat themselves, they don't like to be known for any one thing, [but] push to learn more about what they're doing."

Conventional movies are only a small part of Swinton's creative output - there are frequent collaborations with artists and her image seems carefully crafted to say something about gender, identity and reflect the artistic process of the fashion designers she chooses.

"We were adamant about collaborating on a level that put fashion on the same plane as the other arts," says Jerry Stafford, a creative director and stylist who has worked with Swinton for years.

"I emphasise it is a collaboration. It was never about lining up a bunch of frocks on a rail, or kowtowing to fashion. We're looking for something that goes beyond fashion, trying to take it further than the normal aesthetics of beauty. It's all about storytelling."

In interviews, Swinton always seems to sound surprised that she is considered an actor. "I find myself apologising for not being a proper actor," she said last year. "I never intended to be involved in the film industry and still do feel that, with the exception of a couple of brief skirmishes with the film industry."

She has said she feels "like a tourist" in Hollywood and has made her home in a beautiful part of north Scotland, where she lives with her partner, the German artist Sandro Kopp, and her teenage twins from her previous relationship with the writer and artist John Byrne. (In the tabloids, much was made of the time when Swinton, Byrne and Kopp all lived together, but Swinton shrugged it off, saying they were all friends and it worked for them - even child-rearing has been a collective effort.)

It sounds idyllic, with land and dogs and chickens, and cakes baking in the Aga, and Swinton appears to be an active - if eccentric - figure in the community. She has founded a school, which her children attend, and a local film festival. In 2009, Swinton and her friend, the writer Mark Cousins, manually hauled a mobile 37-tonne cinema screen across the Scottish Highlands, showing films as they went.

Swinton has been surprising audiences during her 30-year career, but what is perhaps most surprising is how this arthouse actor has embraced the commercial film industry, yet still managed to retain her cult quality. She will soon start shooting a Marvel blockbuster, Doctor Strange, but there is a Swinton-esque twist - she doesn't yet know if she will play the part as a man or a woman.

Potted profile

Born: 5 November 1960, London

Career: A long collaboration with Derek Jarman over seven films was followed by her breakthrough role in Orlando. Swinton's Hollywood career took off after The Beach, and includes roles in Vanilla Sky, The Chronicles of Narnia and Michael Clayton. She continues to work on low-budget indies, including Lynn Hershman Leeson's trilogy. Other notable films include We Need to Talk About Kevin, and Julia.

High point: Her best supporting actress Oscar in 2008 for Michael Clayton, though Swinton might say her formative years working with Jarman, which she describes as an "apprenticeship".

Low point: While many of her films aren't to everyone's tastes, there have been few missteps in her career and she seems unperturbed by judgments about her unconventional life.

She says: "I don't have a career, I have a life. I don't have an exterior judgment on what would be good or bad for me."

They say: "She can scare the shit out of you and break your heart and give you a boner all at the same time." - Amy Schumer

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Tilda Swinton: collaborative chameleon who doesn't court Hollywood

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She feels like a tourist in Hollywood and apologises for not being 'a proper actor', but that doesn't stop her landing big roles and winning Oscars

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Transnational celebrity and the fashion icon: The case of Tilda Swinton, ‘visual performance artist at large’ (2016)

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Transnational celebrity and the fashion icon: The case of Tilda Swinton, ‘visual performance artist at large’ (2016)

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By 2016, Swinton has appeared in at least 70 films, 40 plays and several live performances all of which her androgyny was a critical feature of hers. This paper suggests that she constantly presents herself as multi-faceted and transformative in order to market herself rather than the films that she is in, "embodying a model of stardom that characterizes the late twentieth century and early twenty-first century".

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Tilda Swinton - the Mistress of "Flat Affect" (2015)

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Tilda Swinton - the Mistress of "Flat Affect" (2015)

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Swinton has the "exceptional capacity to embody 'flat affect'" allowing her to take historical genres of cinematic femininity and can "both make intelligible and also supremely refuse to embody". The article states that flat affect does not "define Swinton or vice versa" it's more that "she has consistantly demonstrated an exceptional capacity to embody this particular register".

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Crossing over with Tilda Swinton—the Mistress of “Flat Affect” - International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society

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Tilda Swinton is hard to classify as a performer because flux and mutability have become her signature qualities. One enduring element in her repertoire, however, can be brought into focus through Lauren Berlant’s concept of “flat affect.” Typically described as mysterious, otherworldly, or ethereal…

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A film about nobleman Orlando who wakes up in the Ottoman Empire as a woman. While the theme of transformation is clear there is more of a focus on Orlando's freedom and while she changed physically, she is still the same person.

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Swinton mentions in this interview how the work that she does is not 'alternative' as people would describe it. She says how "I consider myself to be at the very heart of the mainstream because it's the mainstream for me". Even though she stared doing films with very indie and 'alternative' directors, she never considered it that way and often did work that she herself considered interesting and away to challenge and expand herself.

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Swinton interviewed by Mark Kermode (2020)

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Swinton interviewed by Mark Kermode (2020)

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While it is a very long interview, Swinton mentions how her film Orlando, is not necessarily about the transformation Orlando goes through into a woman, but it is about freedom and gender is just a small aspect of the film and the book on which it is based.

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Tilda Swinton interviewed by Mark Kermode | BFI Q&A

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Photos taken from Instagram (Linked above)

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Photos taken from Instagram (Linked above)

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[Real actors like talking about characters] "I don't because, again you're dealing with something fixed and I'm just too 'wishy-washy' for that"

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[Real actors like talking about characters] "I don't because, again you're dealing with something fixed and I'm just too 'wishy-washy' for that"

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David Bowie - The Stars (Are Out Tonight) Music Video (2013)

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David Bowie - The Stars (Are Out Tonight) Music Video (2013)

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After randomly meeting on a street corner, Swinton and Bowie became friends eventually resulting in him asking her to be in one of his music videos.

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David Bowie - The Stars (Are Out Tonight) (Video)

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Swinton's transformation into Minister Mason

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Swinton's transformation into Minister Mason

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SNOWPIERCER - Tilda Swinton & The Making of Minister Mason

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Living manifestation of art: Tilda Swinton (2023)

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Living manifestation of art: Tilda Swinton (2023)

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This article released on the 5th November, is a celebratory birthday post talking about her Life and work. What particularly interested me is that Swinton was asked for an interview at the Dhaka Lit Festival which she declined. During my research about Swinton, she often does not appear in press conferences and she barely has any social media presence which adds to not only her mystery as a film star but clearly defines her own personal boundaries bewteen her personal and work life.

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Tilda Swinton's name is synonymous with the art of transformation in the world of cinema. Born in London on November 5, 1960, this British actress possesses a rare blend of versatility, artistry, and unwavering dedication to her craft. With her distinctive ethereal appearance and her ability to seamlessly immerse herself in diverse roles, Tilda Swinton has rightfully earned her place as one of the most intriguing and influential figures in the film industry. On the occasion of her birthday today, this is a look at how the actress is a living manifestation of art.

At the Dhaka Lit Fest 2023, I had the privilege of a brief interaction with Tilda Swinton too which left a lasting impression. With humility and grace, I approached her and requested an interview. To my surprise, she kindly declined, explaining that she was there to immerse herself in the world of literature as just another fan of the subject, not as an actress. Her passion for the arts and literature was evident in her words, reinforcing the idea that her dedication to the world of storytelling goes far beyond the silver screen. A speech that she delivered later was a moment that showcased her genuine commitment to the power of words and storytelling in its purest form.

Swinton's early life was steeped in the world of arts and culture. Growing up in a family of artists, her educational journey took her through esteemed institutions such as West Heath Girls' School and Cambridge University. Her background in art history and her deep love for performing were the seeds that would eventually flourish into her successful career in films.

Her acting journey began modestly in the 1980s with small roles in British television dramas and independent films. Yet, it didn't take long for her extraordinary talent to captivate both audiences and filmmakers alike, propelling her into a league of her own. Her early work demonstrated her willingness to embrace unconventional and challenging roles, hinting at the path her career would follow.

What truly sets Tilda Swinton apart is her unparalleled ability to seamlessly blend into her characters. She owns the remarkable gift of becoming the roles she takes on, whether it's the androgynous and ethereal Orlando in Sally Potter's "Orlando" (1992) or the steely corporate attorney in "Michael Clayton" (2007) that earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Swinton's portrayal of the White Witch in "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is a masterclass in character transformation. With her icy demeanour, regal attire, and gracefully eerie presence, she flawlessly embodies the white witch. Her capacity to effortlessly transition from an alluring, enchanting facade to a chilling, ruthless antagonist is a testament to her versatility as an actress.

In the supernatural thriller "Constantine", Tilda Swinton brings to life the enigmatic androgynous angel Gabriel. Her role in this film, directed by Francis Lawrence, showcases her willingness to embrace diverse and unconventional characters. Her portrayal of an angel who questions the divine order and forms an uneasy alliance with the titular character, John Constantine, played by Keanu Reeves, is both haunting and brilliant. Swinton's ability to convey an otherworldly presence and ambiguity adds a unique dimension to the film.

In the contemplative film "Memoria", directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Tilda Swinton takes on the role of Jessica, a Scottish woman experiencing mysterious auditory phenomena during her visit to Colombia. The film delves into themes of memory, perception, and the unexplained. It stands out from mainstream cinema due to its deliberate pacing and pensive narrative. Swinton's performance is profoundly introspective, effectively conveying the senses of wonder, curiosity, and disorientation her character experiences throughout the film. Her ability to fully immerse herself in a role that demands subtlety and introspection underscores her versatility as an actress and her commitment to challenging and unconventional projects.

The actress' dedication to her craft is truly admirable. She often collaborates closely with directors like Luca Guadagnino and Jim Jarmusch, forming dynamic creative partnerships that result in exceptional films. Her striking physical appearance serves as a canvas that she skillfully employs to illustrate a diverse range of characters, rendering herself virtually unrecognizable from one role to the next.

Two of Swinton's celebrated collaborations are with director Bong Joon-ho in "Snowpiercer" (2013) and "Okja" (2017). Her willingness to embrace eccentric and whimsically dressed characters demonstrates her fearlessness in storytelling. Whether portraying the icy and cruel Minister Mason or the quirky, environmentally conscious Lucy Mirando, Swinton's ability to fully embrace the idiosyncrasies of her roles is nothing short of remarkable.

Swinton's impact on cinema extends beyond her acting prowess. She is a strong advocate for independent and art house films. Her involvement in projects like the film adaptation of Lionel Shriver's novel "We Need to Talk About Kevin" in 2011 underscores her commitment to exploring dark and thought-provoking themes that require addressing.

Tilda Swinton is more than just an actress; she is a living work of art. Her choices in roles, her unwavering commitment to character transformation, and her support for independent cinema exemplify her as a true visionary in the film industry. Her work serves as a testament to the power of artistic expression and the limitless potential of storytelling in cinema. In an industry often constrained by typecasting and conventions, Swinton stands as an icon of creative freedom and fearlessness. Her dedication to her craft and her ability to push the boundaries of the impossible on-screen make her a unique and influential force in cinema, and her legacy is certain to endure for generations to come.

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Living manifestation of art: Tilda Swinton

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Tilda Swinton's name is synonymous with the art of transformation in the world of cinema. Born in London on November 5, 1960, this British actress possesses a rare blend of versatility, artistry, and unwavering dedication to her craft.

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This article further enforces how Swinton's beauty is hard to define and how "Worlds like androgynous and ethereal often get bandied about but fail to truly capture Swinton's minimalist elegance". She is incredibly unique with her own sense of style yet she also highlights traditional femininity.

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Characterised by sharp masculine tailoring, unusual architectural finishes and a limited colour palette, Swinton has marked herself as an unlikely style icon. Shying away from over the top glamour and typically 'pretty' clothes, Swinton instead draws influence from her own fashion icons: David Bowie and her father, Major General Sir John Swinton. More attracted to the sharp clean tailoring and embroidered finishes of her father's military uniform than her mother's evening dresses, her formative influences refined over time have turned Swinton into one of the most imaginative dressers going.

She's got her favourites, of course. Lanvin, Celine, Haider Ackermann and Jil Sander are all firm favourites of Tilda Swinton, with a shared quirky minimalist aesthetic. Swinton also played muse to Viktor and Rolf with their 2003 One Woman Show. With an army of Swintons on the runway, this remains one of their most iconic runway shows to date and really encapsulated Swinton's off the wall elegance.

She's strange, otherworldly and undoubtedly beautiful. Her choices are never obvious and yet at the same time never feel contrived. She predominantly keeps to neutral colours - navies, whites and blacks, breaking this up with gorgeous tarnished metallics in brass and classic jewel tones, often opting to wear one colour head to toe.

To channel your inner Swinton, we focus more on classic elegant shapes. H&M knocks it out the park with the rounded shoulders in this jacquard weave coat. The straight cut coupled with the trumped sleeves casts a unique silhouette and makes it a gorgeous addition to your wardrobe for layering. Swinton has often been spotted in a well cut pair of wide legged trousers, so, if looking for this easy to wear classic trend piece, River Island has some spectacular options in at the moment.

The navy pleated trousers are a personal favourite. If you crave unique tailored details and a refined palette look no further than Cos. Truly anything from their store would be perfect for anyone hoping to try to capture Swinton's je ne sais quoi, but this versatile square cut white dress is a favourite. Finish off your look with the Jayda sandals from London based shoe company Miista. Their unique architectural detail, buttery soft leather and lucite heel make for a striking finish to any outfit.

A unique dresser and true style visionary, Swinton's deliberate and focused aesthetic cements her as a modern fashion icon.

Get the look: 1 Square cut cotton dress, £69, COS; 2 Coat, £69.99, H&M; 3 Wide legged trousers, £35, River Island; 4 Jayda shoes, £200, Miista

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Words like androgynous and ethereal often get bandied about but fail to truly capture Swinton's minimalist elegance. Model, muse and Oscar winner,...

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Swinton winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress (2008)

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Swinton winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress (2008)

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For her performance in Michael Clayton she won an Academy Award just showing just how skilled she is as an actress.

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Tilda Swinton winning Best Supporting Actress Oscar®

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Doctor Strange "whitewashing" criticism with Swinton's casting (2016)

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Doctor Strange "whitewashing" criticism with Swinton's casting (2016)

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With Swinton's casting as "The Ancient One" in Dr Strange the filmmakers were criticised for "whitewashing" a character that originally in the comics (which the Marvel franchise is based off) was Asian. Some argue that with Swinton appearing in other 70 films, she "can afford to turn down roles".

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The row over the casting of Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One in Marvel's Doctor Strange has been reignited, with one group saying the film has been tarnished by the "whitewashing" of the character.

The Media Action Network for Asian Americans attacked the decision to cast Swinton in a role that had been Asian in the comics from which the film was adapted.

"Given the dearth of Asian roles, there was no reason a monk in Nepal could not be Asian," Manaa president Rob Chan said, as reported by Variety. "Had [writer/director Scott] Derrickson cast an Asian as the revered leader who guides the main character to become a better human being and to develop his sorcery powers, it would've given a big boost to that actor's career. While actresses deserve the kinds of bold roles usually reserved for men, white actresses are seen onscreen more than Asians of any gender. And Tilda Swinton can afford to turn down roles."

Marvel has previously defended the casting of Swinton, saying: "The Ancient One is a title that is not exclusively held by any one character, but rather a moniker passed down through time, and in this particular film the embodiment is Celtic." The depiction of the character in the comics was widely considered to be outdated and racist.

Screenwriter Robert Cargill has suggested that the decision was taken in order not to lose China's lucrative box office.

"He originates from Tibet," Cargill said, "so if you acknowledge that Tibet is a place and that he's Tibetan, you risk alienating one billion people who think that that's bullshit and risk the Chinese government going, 'Hey, you know one of the biggest film-watching countries in the world? We're not going to show your movie because you decided to get political.'"

Derrickson has also explained the decision not to cast an Asian after the Ancient One was written as female.

"We talked about Asian actors who could do it, as we were working on the script ... but when I envisioned that character being played by an Asian actress, it was a straight-up Dragon Lady."

"I just didn't feel like there was any way to get around that because the Dragon Lady, by definition, is a domineering, powerful, secretive, mysterious, Asian woman of age with duplicitous motives - and I just described Tilda's character. I really felt like I was going to be contributing to a bad stereotype."

Manaa's Guy Aoki disagreed, lamenting the under-representation of Asians in the Marvel canon. "So the Ancient One was racist and stereotyped, but letting a white woman play the part erases all that? No, it just erases an Asian character from the screen when there weren't many prominent Asian characters in Marvel films to begin with," he told Variety.

"Ninety per cent of Marvel and DC characters were originally white. So, in order to be more inclusive in their movies, both companies have tried to change these characters to minorities. But they're almost always black."

Asians are under-represented in Hollywood generally. One study found that just 4.4% of speaking roles in major films went to Asian actors, despite making up 5.3% of the US population, and that they are even less likely to appear in a leading role.

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Doctor Strange 'whitewashing' row resurfaces with new criticism of Swinton casting

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Group monitoring Asian representation in film says Marvel blockbuster is 'tarnished' by casting of Swinton in role depicted as male Tibetan monk in comics

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Swinton in "The Chronicles of Narnia" (2005)

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Swinton in "The Chronicles of Narnia" (2005)

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The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Trailer | Movieclips Classic Trailers

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Tilda Swinton released Margaret Cho emails about film role diversity (2016)

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Tilda Swinton released Margaret Cho emails about film role diversity (2016)

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American comedian Margaret Cho said how Swinton treated her "like her house servant" while discussing diversity in Dr Strange. Because of backlash, Switon released the emails between the two clarifying she did not know about the massive debate and issue surrounding the white washing of Asian characters in Hollywood blockbusters due to her not using Social Media.

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The Hollywood actor Tilda Swinton has published the full text of an email exchange she shared with the American comedian Margaret Cho, after the comic said Swinton had treated her "like her house servant" during a discussion about diversity in the Marvel film Doctor Strange.

Swinton released the email conversation to a US website after Cho told a US podcast that she and Swinton had had a "fight" over the fact that the British actor had been cast in the movie as the Ancient One, a character who was Asian in the original comic book series.

Cho, a stand-up comic whose work frequently focuses on race and gender issues, told TigerBelly last week that Swinton had contacted her to say "she didn't understand why people were so mad about Doctor Strange and she wanted to talk about it, and wanted to get my take on why all the Asian people were mad".

Margaret Cho on stage. Photograph: PR

"[She] was like, 'Could you please tell them ... '" Cho told the podcast. "I'm like, 'Bitch, I can't tell them ... I don't have a yellow phone under a cake dome.'"

But after an account of the podcast was published by the website Jezebel, Swinton's representative forwarded what he called "the entire unedited and only conversation she has ever had with Margaret - with her gratitude for the opportunity to clarify".

While Cho had characterised their conversation as a "fight", the tone of the emails, on the surface at least, is more cordial. Swinton first contacted Cho on 13 May this year, saying that while they had never met, "I'm a fan", and she wanted to ask a favour.

"The diversity debate - ALL STRENGTH to it - has come knocking at the door of Marvel's new movie DR STRANGE," Swinton wrote, but said she was unaware of the debate since she didn't use social media. "I would really love to hear your thoughts and have a - private - conversation about it."

In response, Cho declared herself in turn "a big fan of yours", then wrote: "The character you played in Dr Strange was originally written as a Tibetan man and so there's a frustrated population of Asian Americans who feel the role should have gone to a person of Asian descent."

The broader debate, Cho wrote, was to do with the "whitewashing" of Asians in American films. "Our stories are told by white actors over and over again and we feel at a loss to know how to cope with it."

Marvel has repeatedly been forced to defend Swinton's casting, with the film's screenwriter hinting the character's race was changed from Tibetan to avoid upsetting China.

Similar accusations have been made by Asian-American actors about a range of films including Ghost in the Shell, in which Scarlett Johansson was cast as the manga character Major Motoko Kusanagi, renamed Major for the movie, and Aloha, in which the part of a quarter-Chinese, quarter-native Hawaiian called Allison Ng was played by the blonde, blue-eyed Emma Stone.

In her response to Cho, Swinton wrote that Marvel had made "a conscious effort to shake up stereotypes" by casting Chiwetel Ejiofor in a role that was originally white, and that she had personally been cheered by the fact the "wise old Eastern Geezer Fu Manchu" part had been offered to her as a woman in her 50s.

"Diversity is pretty much my comfort zone," she wrote. "The idea of being caught on the wrong side of this debate is a bit of a nightmare to me."

Cho responded by saying that she accepted that as an artist Swinton was "about diversity", "but this particular case of the Ancient One is just another in a long list of 'whitewashed' Asian characters, and so you're likely to feel the heat of history." She suggested that Swinton could help by producing more films with roles for Asian-Americans, to which the actor replied that she was currently developing a part Korean-language film with a number of Korean leads.

Contacted for a response after Swinton published her emails, Cho released a statement saying: "Asian actors should play Asian roles. I believe my emails stand on their own and should be taken for the spirit in which they were intended." She remained a "huge fan" of Swinton, she said.

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Tilda Swinton releases Margaret Cho emails about film role diversity

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White actor, cast as character in Doctor Strange originally written as Tibetan man, criticised by Asian-American comedian

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With fame, and particularly with Hollywood Blockbusters, there inevitably comes at least some controversy and even though Swinton has not had a significant amount of controversy, there has been some especially with her casting in Marvel's Dr Strange.

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One of the key aspects of a celebrity is their presence on social media to promote their pojects. Therefore Swinton's lack of it is very interesting. This allows her to keep her work life and private life completely seperate and any press or interview work she needs to do for a film or other project is done during the period of the projects release. She does occasionally do interviews such as the BFI one (below) however these interviews seem to be far more intellectual and critical rather than traditional film press.

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Playful, Fantastical, Rare: At Home With Tilda Swinton On Her Highlands Estate (2021)

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Playful, Fantastical, Rare: At Home With Tilda Swinton On Her Highlands Estate (2021)

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In an Interview with British Vogue, when asked about her presence on social media she says "I am a complete, complete Luddite. I have no presence on social media, absolutely none, and I never have". and adds that "I just have other things to do".

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Playful, Fantastical, Rare: At Home With Tilda Swinton On Her Highlands Estate

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“If you’d asked me when I was 10 or 20, I would have said my only ambitions were to live in a family, to have friends that made me laugh and laughed at my jokes, and to live in the Highlands of Scotland, by the sea with a lot of dogs and a kitchen garden. Seriously. And I have been really blessed to…

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The trailer for Michael Clayton which Swinton won an academy award for best supporting actress.

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Michael Clayton (2007) Official Trailer - George Clooney, Tilda Swinton Movie HD

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In 2016, Swinton joined the behemoth that is the Marvel universe as "The Ancient One" in Dr Strange.

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Doctor Strange Official Trailer 1 (2016) - Benedict Cumberbatch Movie

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Addley, E. (2016) Tilda Swinton releases Margaret Cho emails about film role diversity, The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/21/tilda-swinton-releases-margaret-cho-emails-about-film-role-diversity (Accessed: 05 November 2023).

A24 (2019) The Souvenir | Official Trailer HD | A24, Youtube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9Al2nC0vzY (Accessed: 06 November 2023)

BFI (2020) Tilda Swinton interviewed by Mark Kermode | BFI Q&A, YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfaETIdhgcA (Accessed: 05 November 2023).

Bowie, D. (2013) David Bowie - the stars (are out Tonight) (video), YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH7dMBcg-gE (Accessed: 05 November 2023).

Evans, A. (2016) Doctor strange ‘whitewashing’ row resurfaces with new criticism of Swinton casting, The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/nov/04/doctor-strange-tilda-swinton-whitewashing-row (Accessed: 05 November 2023).

Harris, J. (2021) Playful, fantastical, rare: At home with Tilda Swinton on her Highlands Estate, British Vogue. Available at: https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/tilda-swinton-interview (Accessed: 05 November 2023).

IMDb (no date) Tilda Swinton | Actress, producer, writer, IMDb. Available at: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0842770/ (Accessed: 05 November 2023).

Oscars (2012) Tilda Swinton winning best supporting actress Oscar®, YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyg3RzcX5ig (Accessed: 05 November 2023).

RADiUS (2014) Snowpiercer - Tilda Swinton & the making of minister Mason, YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-ZxY_xFm9Q&t=2s (Accessed: 05 November 2023).

Radner, H. (2016) ‘Transnational celebrity and the fashion icon: The case of Tilda Swinton, “visual performance artist at large”’, European Journal of Women’s Studies, 23(4), pp. 401–414. doi:10.1177/1350506816666384.

Ross, P. (2008) Tilda Swinton interview: 'We're not all sleeping together, it's so much more boring than that', The Scotsman. Available at: https://www.scotsman.com/news/tilda-swinton-interview-were-not-all-sleeping-together-its-so-much-more-boring-than-that-2479626 (Accessed: 06 November 2023)

Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers (2014) Michael Clayton (2007) Official Trailer - George Clooney, Tilda Swinton Movie HD, YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kJRYBhG43Q (Accessed: 05 November 2023).

Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers (2021) The chronicles of narnia: The lion, the Witch and the wardrobe trailer | movieclips classic trailers, YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usEkWtuNn-w (Accessed: 05 November 2023).

Rotten Tomatoes Trailers (2016) Doctor strange official trailer 1 (2016) - Benedict Cumberbatch movie, YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7gvFravm4A (Accessed: 05 November 2023).

Rotten Tomatoes Trailers (2021) The Souvenir: Part II Trailer #1 (2021) | Movieclips Trailers, Youtube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQze5M9gtcI (Accessed: 06 November 2023)

Stacey, J. (2015) ‘Crossing over with Tilda Swinton—the mistress of “flat affect”’, International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society, 28(3), pp. 243–271. doi:10.1007/s10767-014-9193-8.

Stuart, C. (2014) Style icon: Tilda Swinton, The Herald. Available at: https://www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/13151435.style-icon-tilda-swinton/ (Accessed: 05 November 2023).

Swinton, T. (1990) ‘Subverting images of the female’, New Theatre Quarterly, 6(23), pp. 215–228. doi:10.1017/s0266464x00004516.

swinton.tilda (no date) Instagram. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/swinton.tilda/ (Accessed: 05 November 2023).

Tasnim, Z. (2023) Living manifestation of art: Tilda Swinton, The Daily Star. Available at: https://www.thedailystar.net/entertainment/tv-film/news/living-manifestation-art-tilda-swinton-3462351 (Accessed: 05 November 2023).

Tilda Swinton: Collaborative chameleon who doesn’t court hollywood (2015) The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jul/24/tilda-swinton-collaborative-chameleon-who-doesnt-court-hollywood (Accessed: 05 November 2023).

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Swinton have covered a number of magazines over the years with a surprising amount of them being covers of international magazines. This clearly shows just how recognisable she is to so many people around the world and how big of a star she is. It also brings attention to her unique fashion style and how iconic it is.

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Swinton Covers Vogue Korea (August, 2015)

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Swinton Covers Vogue Korea (August, 2015)

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Swinton Covers Interview Germany (Summer, 2017)

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Swinton Covers Interview Germany (Summer, 2017)

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Swinton Covers S Moda Magazine (August, 2017)

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Swinton Covers S Moda Magazine (August, 2017)

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Swinton Covers Vogue Ukraine (November, 2020)

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Swinton Covers Vogue Ukraine (November, 2020)

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Swinton Covers Vogue Japan (January, 2019)

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Swinton Covers Vogue Japan (January, 2019)

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Swinton appeared in this film alongside her daughter Honor showing how much of a family woman she is. She has also stated in an interview that even her daughter was in this film with her, she has no desire to become an actress and now studies psychology and neurology.

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The Souvenir | Official Trailer HD | A24

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The Souvenir: Part 2 - Official Trailer (2021)

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The Souvenir: Part 2 - Official Trailer (2021)

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The Souvenir: Part II Trailer #1 (2021) | Movieclips Trailers

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Swinton has represented motherhood in her films before particularly in her film with Lynne Ramsey We Need to Talk about Kevin. The film really questions about what happens when a mother has a child and does not have any maternal love for it at all and how it can change her own and her sons life.

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Tilda Swinton interview: 'We're not all sleeping together, it's so much more boring than that' (2008)

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Tilda Swinton interview: 'We're not all sleeping together, it's so much more boring than that' (2008)

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In this article by the Scotsman, Swinton talks about how life is for her after seperating from the father of her children and being in a relationship with a painter she met on the set of Narnia. She calls this arragement perfectly normal for her and her family and declares her home "a shame-free zone".

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Swinton seperating her home and work life

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Swinton seperating her home and work life

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In numerous interviews and articles, Swinton has mentioned now she does not have any social media at all as well as not owning a television. She is just too busy for it. She much rather stay in her Scottish Esate in the Highlands with her family and working on personal projects than focus on what people online say about her. She is very capable of completely separating her work life and personal life and not allowing either to affect the other.