Michael Stipe wants Billie Eilish to play him in a biopic: “She’s amazing”
REM frontman Michael Stipe has revealed that he wants Billie Eilish to play him in a possible biopic.
During an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on April 23rd, Stipe reminisced about his days with REM, which naturally led to a discussion about a possible biopic to bring their story to the screen.
Although in recent years, cinema has been flooded with biopics celebrating the lives of everyone from Elton John to Bob Dylan, Stipe confirmed, “There isn’t. No,” when asked if one was currently in the works.
Colbert then asked who Stipe would want to play him, to which he joked, “Someone really hot”. The late-night host then recommended David Cross for the role, if the version of Stipe in the film was to be bearded, which didn’t elicit the most thrilling reaction from the REM singer.
Instead, the frontman had other ideas, suggesting, “Maybe Billie Eilish could do it. She’s amazing.”
Stipe then shared his one and only, admittedly mundane, interaction with the ‘Birds of a Feather’ singer, recalling, “She held a door open for me once at a restaurant in Manhattan. I don’t know if she knew who I was, she’s incredibly polite, and sweet. But, I didn’t know who she was until she was down the street.”
He added, “I would love to meet her and her brother Finneas.”
While a biopic starring Elish appears to be a far-fetched fantasy at this stage, one thing that is finally set to materialise is Stipe’s debut solo album.
He explained to Colbert that he’s “writing the final lyrics for my first-ever solo album” currently, and shared with viewers, “My record is coming out at the end of the year, that’s an exclusive. I’m announcing it now, my first ever solo record, and I’m really pleased about that.”
Stipe also took to the stage while on The Tonight Show with Stephen Colbert to deliver the world premiere of his new single, ‘The Rest of Ever’, which will appear on the as-yet-untitled debut album.
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