Dominique Fishback Originally Turned Down A Different Role On "Swarm"

Dominique Fishback initially declined a role in Donald Glover's newest series for Amazon Prime Video, Swarm. The two explained how she was cast to play the show's central antihero, Andrea “Dre” Green, during a new piece for The New York Times. Glover revealed to the outlet that he initially proposed the role of Marissa, which eventually went to Chloe Bailey, for Fishback.

“I was like, ‘You want to play the murderer? Uh, really?’” he recalled saying. “She felt very sweet, like someone you wanted to take care of, but she wanted to do the opposite, which I completely understand even in my own career. She wanted to branch out, and I was excited to allow her to do that.”

When asked about the decision, Fishback explained that she was sick of playing the same type of characters. “I’m used to being a character that’s loved or easy-to-like and, no lie, you get comfortable with that — I like that! But I had to get out of my own way in order to be the artist, the actor, that I came here to be," she said.

As for Fishback's inspiration for the performance, she recently discussed how Charlize Theron and Heath Ledger impacted her during an interview with ET. “When I was younger, I watched Monster with Charlize Theron… And I watched Heath Ledger do the Joker and you see all of these people get to really tap into different characters,” she explained. “I was like, ‘Man, I want to get the opportunity to really just stretch myself as an actor and explore the human psyche in ways that I would never do.’ … And, I feel like I got that freedom to do so at Dre’s expense. She’s so angry.”

Swarm debuted on Amazon Prime Video on March 17, 2023. In addition to Fishback, the show stars Chloe Bailey, Damson Idris, Billie Eilish, and more. Check out a trailer for the series below.

[Via]