Is Andrea Greene a real person? Revealing the truth behind the murderous character

Amazon Prime’s psychological thriller series Swarm – helmed by Donald Glover and Janine Nabers – follows the story of a fan’s detrimental obsession with a pop star. With Dominique Fishback portraying the lead role of the deranged and murderous fan Andrea “Dre” Greene, the show features Chloe Bailey, Billie Eilish, and Nirine S. Brown in supporting roles.

The show, which is a not-so-subtle commentary on celebrity worship and stan culture, made headlines for its eerie references to real-life events. So that begs the question of whether the character of Dre has her roots in a real person or not, considering that her actions do not seem farfetched at all.

Andrea “Dre” Greene is not based on a real person, she is the antithesis of the ‘funny’ black woman trope in television

In Swarm, Dre is dangerously obsessed with pop star Ni’Jah and goes to inhumane lengths to prove her loyalty to the star.

To anybody who watches the show, there is an undeniable resemblance between Ni’Jah and real-life mega-pop star Beyoncé. Viewers have hence concluded that Ni’Jah is loosely based on Beyoncé and the behavior of Dre is an exaggeration of her fanbase, infamously known as the Beyhive.

As for the inspiration behind Dre, co-creator Janine Nabers has revealed that Dre is the antithesis of the ‘funny’ black woman trope common in films and television.

She said that American viewers were ‘conditioned to seeing white men be angry and violent’ onscreen, alluding to the lack of representation of women of color in anti-hero roles.

Although Dre is not based on a real person, creator Donald Glover was encouraged to make her an unhinged serial killer after coming across a tweet by a black woman he followed. According to Nabers, the tweet said:

“Why does every Black woman on TV have to be a therapist, or a funny best friend, or someone looking for love, or a teacher? We can be crazy; we can be serial killers, too.”

Glover and Nabers studied serial killers and morally ambiguous characters to come up with the nuances required for the complex anti-hero character of Dre. Similarly, Dominique Fishback watched movies such as The Dark Knight, Monster and Boys Don’t Cry to prepare for the role.