Amazon Prime’s new psychological horror series Swarm has certainly drummed up a lot of publicity for its graphic nature and disturbing commentary on stan culture. In fact, many were not able to get past the first few minutes of the first episode without feeling the need to comment about a particularly intense sex scene between Chlöe Bailey’s Marissa and Damson Idris’ Khalid. Bailey has faced backlash for that scene, and she recently spoke out about why she thinks her fans have trouble accepting her sexy side.
Chlöe Bailey came to fame with her sister Halle Bailey (who has faced backlash of her own as the star of the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid) as the singing duo Chlöe x Halle when she was 13. Even before the sisters became YouTube famous, Chlöe had minor acting roles as early as age 5, when she appeared in The Fighting Temptations. She told rapper Latto on 777 Radio that her background likely plays a part in the public’s unwillingness to let the now-24-year-old portray a different side of herself. She explained:
A lot of times I’ll be confused, because I’m like the things that I post that people will have the most think pieces about, every other girl be posting the same thing. And I’m like, ‘Okay so why is it with me a problem?’ Or it’s like if I do it, it’s forced, it’s contrived. … I’ve come to the conclusion it’s because they’re not used to seeing me in that light. They’ve grown up with my sister and I since we had our little short baby locks on YouTube and everything. But it’s like, this has been me. When I perform, that’s when I feel the most confident and the most sexy. It’s nothing contrived or forced about it. That’s just passion coming out.
The actress, who dreams of achieving EGOT status one day, pointed out that her fans have trouble seeing her sexy side, because they’ve watched her grow up as a teenager singing with her sister on YouTube and then in roles like high-schooler Jazlyn Forster on grown-ish.
She rejects the idea that this more mature side is forced, insisting that these moments are the ones when she feels the most in tune with herself. So even though she seems to have an understanding of where her critics are coming from, she still wants to have the freedom to express herself in different ways than people may be used to. She continued:
Honestly, I’m happy people are talking. Sometimes it does get under my skin and I’m like, ‘Dammit, y’all just don’t let me be! You let everyone else be, but not me,’ but it’s okay.
Chlöe Bailey may unfortunately be receiving some backlash for Swarm, but hers was not the only scene going viral after being witnessed by Amazon Prime subscription holders. Rory Culkin’s scene — in which his fully nude character offers Dre (Dominique Fishback) strawberries after a hook-up — shocked viewers, and even more so when it was revealed that the scene was inspired by an actual encounter that Swarm co-creator Donald Glover had.
The seven-episode limited series can be streamed now on Amazon Prime Video, and you can check out our 2023 TV schedule to see what other new and returning show are premiering soon on TV and streaming.
