Fans Are Shocked to Learn That a Key Role in 'Swarm' Was Played by an Unrecognizable Paris Jackson

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Paris Jackson, is that you? That’s what many viewers were asking themselves when they watched Amazon Prime’s original series, Swarm, which dropped its entire first season on Friday. The horror-dark comedy show, which has more than one celebrity cameo in the mix, had everyone shocked at the 24-year-old’s unrecognizable role.

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Jackson plays a stripper named Hailey, who goes by the stage name of Halsey. The dark hair and sparkly outfits defy the usual boho chic fashions she wears on the red carpet, so she was able to become a chameleon in the role. It’s fun to see Twitter fans catch on to her unforgettable appearance in the second episode (and no spoilers, but wow, she’s good). “This is so meta. Not Paris Jackson in #Swarm I can’t stop watching,” one account wrote. Another added, “Paris Jackson is a really good actor btw. I need to see her in a lot more stuff.” And of course, we love the account that has obviously followed her career closely, writing, “everybody praising paris jackson for her acting in swarm needs to check her out in star, habit, the space between, & american horror stories! she’s so underrated.”

What makes her portrayal even more fascinating is that after befriending Dre, played by Dominique Fishback, she talks about the challenges she faces as a light-skinned Black woman. “I mean, I ran away from my last relationship because he couldn’t accept me as Black,” Halsey says in the scene. Dre responds with shock, “You’re Black?” That’s when the character revealed that her dad is Black, but she is white-passing — just like the real-life Halsey. So it’s a true meta situation with a biracial actress playing a stripper whose stage name is based on the real-world situation of the singer, Halsey. Get it?

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Buy: ‘Swarm’

Swarm co-creator and showrunner Janine Nabers told Variety that it was casting director Carmen Cuba who thought of Jackson for the role. “She pitched Paris Jackson, and we all like fell out. We were like, ‘Exactly. That’s exactly what we’re talking about,’” praised Nabers. “She [Paris] was like, ‘I understand what this role is, and here’s how I’m gonna approach it.’” So don’t be surprised to see more of Jackson onscreen now that everyone in Hollywood and beyond is taking notice of her memorable performance.

Before you go, click here to see the best photos of Paris Jackson’s red carpet fashion below:

Paris Jackson
Paris Jackson

Launch Gallery: 39 Photos of Michael Jackson's 3 Kids 'Bigi', Prince, & Paris Jackson Over the Years

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