Call them unusual. Call them weird. But some folks are just insanely gifted and we’re calling them the ‘aliens’ among us! Today I’m picking out one of those alien-like creatures that walk this earth. Tilda Swinton is a talented actor, an Oscar winner in fact, and is know to openly live her eccentric life as a film professional, a mother, a lover, an artist and a woman. Here are 10 things that make Tilda Swinton something close to an alien!
1. She is a scientist who has discovered HOW to shape-shift!
In an interview, Swinton admitted that she doesn’t see herself as an actor. And yet has performed in everything from art house films to serious mainstream cinema like in Let’s Talk About Kevin. She then gives a brilliantly funny performance in Burn After Reading, while simultaneously being known for her infamous portrayal of Angel Gabrielle in Constantine and the White Witch in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
Tilda isn’t an actor, she is mad scientist who has mastered the equation to morphing into different forms of being!
2. She is ageless and sometimes, sexless.
Figuratively speaking, Tilda playfully hops between the borders of age and sexuality. While most actors put in the hard work and research, she simply just slips under their skin and becomes the person. It’s uncanny how she does it and that is why it’s equally eerie.
Art imitating life? It’s more like, life becoming art.
3. She thinks “we need to talk About Kevin” is a feel good film!
We Need To Talk About Kevin is an intense film starring Tilda Swinton, who plays a mother of an extremely vicious child. She struggles to comes to term with her sinister son, who later goes on a mass killing spree. As twisted as the story is, Tilda thought the film had a ‘feel good’ factor that parents will enjoy. Here’s her quote.
“Because those who have children come waltzing out of the cinema, going oh, my kid, we thought he was a problem, but he’s nothing compared to that one!”
4. She is sort of a witch.
Tilda Swinton has a third nipple and has never shied away from it. In fact, she used to threaten her brothers, when she was little, by showing them the ‘witch’s mark’ aka her third nipple!
There are a number of celebrities who have the third nipple or polithelia. Lily Allen, Mark Walberg and Zac Efron too, are a part of the “The Nipples Club”.
5. She can be an alien going hostile.
Clearly, Tilda had something against her brothers. When she was a little girl, she tried to kill her new born brother. In an interview, she revealed that she wanted to be a boy, being in a house with three brothers.
But thankfully, when she tried to ‘kill’ her baby brother, she landed up saving him. There were ribbons from his bonnet going into his mouth as he lay in his crib. Little Tilda, unknowingly, pulled it out. And thus was known as her brother’s saviour.
6. Or she could be an Alien with a heart of gold.
Even before stardom and the spotlight, Tilda moved to Africa to do volunteer work. It was after she finished boarding school, when she worked with schools in South Africa and Kenya.
She is also a strong icon for the LGBT community and held a rainbow flag in Russia with a message, “In solidarity, from Russia with love.” This was her bold move in support at a harsh time for gay people in Russia.
7. She has learnt some of Earth’s languages and one of them is scarcely spoken.
The above clip shows Tilda Swinton singing in Gaelic. Gaelic, an old Scottish language, is one of least spoken and one of the oldest in Europe. Well, Tilda managed to sing in it. (Even if it was for a few seconds).
She also speaks a little of German (like a 3 year old), French (that she learnt in school) and of course, English. Interestingly, Tilda also speaks Italian and in a movie, she spoke it with a Russian accent because that’s what the role demanded.
8. Her idea of a love life is unconventional.
In Only Lovers Left Alive, Tilda plays the lover of a depressed musician who reunites with her after centuries. An unusual love story? Well, fact is stranger than fiction. Tilda has two children with John Byrne, but they were never married, and is in a relationship with Sandro Copp, an artist.
While the speculations were that the three were in some sort of an open relationship, Swinton has often tried to clear the rumour of any such bohemian arrangement. Tilda and Sandro are dating, while John is the father of Tilda’s children. And together, they are all really good friends.
9. She inspires people to do things.
Tilda is probably one of the few electrifying artists of our time. She was supposed to play Bridget in Bridget Jones’s Diary. Viktor & Rolf designed an entire collection after her, and she walked for them as a model, of course. Twelv Magazine created an ice dress inspired by her. She and film critic Mark Cousins, decided to create a film festival. They mounted a large screen on the back of truck, creating a mobile cinema.
Not only that, she created Ballerina Ballroom Cinema of Dream in a old Victorian hall in Scotland where, people could watch films while sitting on large bean bags. Ticket prices? One could offer to pay in home-baked goodies.
9. She chose to sleep in a glass box and didn’t mind being watched
No jokes. She did that, twice! The second time, as a part of a live art installation, she would walk into the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and take a nap! No one knew her schedule and that’s why the installation was called, ‘The Maybe’.
So is she an alien or simply, a fascinating human being? Either way, Swinton is a clear example of a person who does what she loves and does it her way. Weird, unconventional, bohemian and so on, are words you can throw at her but, it only adds to her mystical persona.
Wanna know more ‘Aliens’ among us? Stay tuned and if you have any such creatures in mind, do share them with us! We’d love to share it with the world.