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Dick Van Dyke reached back 60 years on Monday (Nov. 4) to a time when the United States was riven by racial animus and division to remind voters that such emotions are not, and should not, be the norm. The 98-year-old Hollywood legend and Mary Poppins star posted a black-and-white video on his socials endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris a day before voters took to the polls to weigh in on the neck-and-neck race between the sitting Democrat Vice President and former command-in-chief Donald Trump.
“Fifty years ago – May 31, 1964 — I was on the podium with Dr. Martin Luther King” he said of the Religious Witness for Human Dignity event held by the late civil rights leader in front of 60,000 people at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. “I was there to read a message written by Rod Serling, the guy who wrote The Twilight Zone. I got it out the other day, and I think it means as much today, if not more, than it did then. So if you don’t mind, I’d like to read it,” Van Dyke said.
The beloved actor and singer then read a selection from Serling’s note, which was entitled “A Most Non-Political Speech,” reprising his recitation at the King event more than half a century ago. “Hatred is not the norm. Prejudice is not the norm. Suspicion, dislike, jealousy, scapegoating, none of those are the transcendent facet of the human personality. They’re diseases,” Van Dyke said. “They are the cancers of the soul. They are the infectious and contagious viruses that have been breeding humanity for years. And because they have been and because they are, is it necessary that they shall be? I think not.”
With the trademark sparkle in his eye and warmth in his voice, Van Dyke continued. “If there’s one voice left to say ‘welcome’ to a stranger, if there’s one hand outstretched to say ‘enter and share,’ if there’s one mind remaining to think a thought of warmth and friendship, then there’s a future in which we’ll find more than one hand, more than one voice and more than one mind dedicated to the cause of man’s equality. Wishful? Hopeful? Unassured? Problematical and not to be guaranteed, that’s all true.”
He added, “But again, on this spring evening of 1964, a little of man’s awareness has shown itself. A little of his essential decency, his basic goodness, his preeminent dignity, has been made a matter of record. There will be moments of violence and expressions of hatred and an ugly re-echo of intolerance, but these are the clinging vestiges of a decayed past, not the harbingers of the better, cleaner future.”
The powerful message from Van Dyke came as both Trump and Harris were delivering their final messages to supporters on Monday night (Nov. 4), both in the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania. Harris was joined in Philadelphia by a galaxy of A-list stars — including Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey, Ricky Martin and The Roots — during an address where she once again vowed to fight for the future of all Americans.
“We love our country. And when you love something, you fight for it,” Harris said in an address just before midnight. “I do believe it is one of the highest forms of patriotism, of our expression of our love for our country, to then fight for its ideals and to fight to realize the promise of America… America is ready for a fresh start, ready for a new way forward, where see our fellow Americans not as an enemy, but as a neighbor.”
Also speaking in Pennsylvania, Trump — who would be the oldest person ever elected president at 78 — stuck to his foreboding, grievance-filled stump speech, vowing to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 in an effort at the mass deportation of illegal migrants he has promised on day one of his potential second administration. He also once again referred to Harris as a “radical left Marxist” and promised to “get critical race theory and transgender insanity the hell out of our schools” in the closing argument of a campaign in which he has questioned Harris’ racial identity and sought to lure Latino voters to his side despite recently featuring a comedian at his New York rally who called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” Referring to the U.S. as an “occupied country” on Monday, Trump also again falsely claimed that “a lot of bad things” happened in the 2020 election he lost to President Biden.
In his recitation, Van Dyke — who did not mention either candidate, but did encourage his fans to vote and included hashtags for Harris — added a most poignant bit from Serling. “To those who tell us that the inequality of the human animal is the necessary evil, we must respond by simply saying that first, it is evil, but not necessary. We prove it, sitting here tonight, in 1964. We prove it by affirming our faith. We prove it by having faith in our affirmations,” he said.
The reading ended with a quote from 19th century abolitionist and U.S. House Rep. Horace Mann, “‘Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.’ I’d like to paraphrase that tonight. ‘Let us be ashamed to live without that victory,’” Van Dyke said, lamenting that “a lot” has happened since then, but perhaps not as much as MLK dreamed of. “But it’s a start,” Van Dyke smiled.
Van Dyke joins a long roster of major stars who’ve supported Harris’ campaign, a list that includes: Taylor Swift, Cardi B, Eminem, Scarlett Johansson, LeBron James, George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Oprah Winfrey, Ricky Martin, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Bad Bunny, Harrison Ford, Cher, Reese Witherspoon, Julia Roberts, Usher, Olivia Rodrigo, Madonna, Kesha, Billie Eilish, Bruce Springsteen, Sarah Jessica Parker, Charli XCX, Arnold Schwarzenegger and many more.
Pollsters have repeatedly claimed that Trump and Harris are in a neck-and-neck race, with most predicting that results will likely not be finalized when voting ends on Tuesday night (Nov. 5). If you are not sure where your polling place is, click here to find out.
Watch Van Dyke read Serling’s message below.
Ariana Grande says she absolutely had to “earn” the right to play Glinda in the upcoming two-part big screen adaptation of Wicked. Speaking to Sentimental Men podcast hosts Quincy Born and Kevin Bianchi this week, Grande said she’s “always been a Wizard of Oz person,” but despite her global pop fame — including nine No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits — and deep knowledge and love for the original 1939 Judy Garland movie The Wizard of Oz and the 2003 Tony-winning Broadway production of Wicked, it was not a given that she’d land the gig in director Jon M. Chu’s fantastical re-imagining.
“People sometimes say to me, ‘you had to audition?’ Of course, are you out of your gourd?,” she said about earning the right to step into the beloved role opposite Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba. “It’s Wicked! And it requires a totally different skill set than people know me for and have ever seen me do anything like,” she explained. “It’s Wicked! That’s the most respectful thing! It has to be earned… period!”
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If anything, Grande said her pop stardom could have worked against her in certain ways. “When you have this characterized persona that’s out there and people know you very well as this one thing, is this person going to be able to erase that and disappear into a character?,” she said, stressing that nothing about her playing Glinda is about herself, but only about inhabiting the beloved character.
During the pod recording where the singer apologized several times for her dog Myron’s incessant barking, Grande told the hosts that she has often turned to the Broadway Wicked original cast album for comfort and a “safe space” if she is nervous or needs to warm up her voice.
Grande also recalled that she first saw Wicked on Broadway when she was just 10, feeling “very, very, very fortunate” to see the original cast at a time when it was the show that “everyone was talking about.” In addition to repeatedly seeing the show on the Great White Way, after bidding way too much in a Broadway Cares Equity Fight AIDS auction for a backstage tour, the budding star was gifted a “little wand” and “magical body wash” by star Kristin Chenoweth.
How obsessed was she? At one point Grande erased every single song on her iPod with the exception of the Wicked soundtrack, further proof that this dream gig might have been in the stars all along. And, when the first murmurings about the film version reached her desk before the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the singer said she told her team that she was willing to immediately pull the plug on her 2019 Sweetener world tour so she could go home and start on voice and acting lessons.
“‘I’m gonna turn this s–t out,’” Grande said she told her team more than a year before her August 2021 audition. “‘This is all I want. It’s done.’” Though they appreciated her enthusiasm, Grande said her management politely said no way to cancelling the tour at a time when the singer thought she might be brought in to read for both lead roles.
She knew, however, that Glinda was the part she was destined to inhabit. When Chenoweth gave her the thumbs up, Ariana said she lost it. “We had talked about it for years and years and years, but me finally confessing to her that I wanted to go in for Glinda was like a whole different thing,” Grande said about asking Chenoweth for guidance on how to really nail the part and make it her own without resorting to an impersonation.
“I said, ‘Hey, I think they’re doing this now, and I think that I wanna go for Glinda,’ and she went into the bathroom and closed the door and started crying,” Grande said beginning to tear up herself at the memory. “It was the sweetest thing in the world. Oh my god, it makes me emotional. It was so cute. She was just like, ‘I was hoping this would happen. I love you, and I trust you with it, baby girl.’ She was like, ‘Just do your thing. Just do your thing. You are so funny and you have great instincts and no one knows that.”
The first part of the movie that also co-stars Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Bowen Yang, Jonathan Bailey and Marissa Bode, opens in theaters on Nov. 22.
Watch Grande talk Wicked below.
Now that she’s had a few weeks to think it over, Cynthia Erivo says she kind of wishes she’d reached out to a few friends before posting her heated reaction to some viral fan edits of the poster for Wicked. The singer/actress made it very clear earlier this month that she was not cool with […]
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Actor David Harris, who famously portrayed Cochise in the cult classic film The Warriors, has passed away. He was 75.
According to the New York Times, Harris died in his home in New York City after a battle with cancer, per his daughter Davina Harris.
Harris appeared in films like A Soldier’s Story and Fatal Beauty, and television shows including NYPD Blue, In The Heat of the Night and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. But it was no doubt The Warriors, released in 1979, that still got him recognized wherever he went.
In The Warriors, a Hip-Hop movie through and through for those that know, the eponymously named gang has to make it all the way back to Coney Island after a big gang meeting in The Bronx goes left when Cyrus—who hoped to unite all the gangs—gets shot and killed after his epic “Can you dig it?!” speech. Keep in mind , there are no cell phones or Ubers, just NYC’s rapid transit and every other gang in the city out to stop them. It was Cochise who proved to be one of the more thorough members of the crew, showing deference to war chief Swan, finding time to party with girls on the way home and willingly throwing hands when it became necessary.
“I was the last Warrior cast,” Harris told The Five Count podcast during an interview. “Walter Hill saw like, I don’t, 300 or 400 actors for Cochise in The Warriors in New York, but he could find Cochise. I was in Minneapolis doing a play and I got back to New York and Walter was still trying to find Cochise. My agent said, Hey man there’s this movie in the city and there’s a part that they’re having a problem casting… I walk into the room, I had two scenes to read for Walter but he took one look at me [and] said, Go down to wardrobe. He found his Cochise.”
Rest in powerful peace David Harris.
Pianos anchor both Abigail Barlow’s and Emily Bear’s Los Angeles apartments. Self-described “Barbie girl” Barlow, 25, has a shiny magenta lacquered Yamaha U1, as brightly hued as her hair and her bedazzled Stanley mug. The “old-ass” Steinway upright — a refurbished turn-of-the-century specimen purchased from “a random warehouse downtown” — belongs to 23-year-old Bear.
It would be tempting to assume that the two musicians are polar opposites, based on their instruments as well as their backstories. Barlow is a pop singer-songwriter who first dreamed of becoming “a musical theater actrice”; Bear was a wunderkind classical and jazz pianist, a Quincy Jones protegée who played for Beyoncé on the Renaissance tour and was intent on writing film/TV scores. And while both entered the industry in their teens, it wasn’t until a mutual friend introduced them in 2019 that they started writing songs together. Their creative partnership (and friendship) has been, as Barlow says, “just like alchemy,” ever since.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Barlow & Bear co-wrote The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical Album, inspired by the book series and hit Netflix drama, which became a viral sensation, racking up 60.3 million on-demand U.S. streams, according to Luminate, and winning the duo the best musical theater album Grammy Award in 2022. (Netflix sued the pair that July for copyright infringement when it put on a live, for-profit performance of the album at the Kennedy Center; the suit was reportedly settled out of court a few months later.) But now, their collaboration is about to hit the mainstream. Barlow & Bear’s music for Moana 2, in theaters Nov. 27, will make them the youngest (and only all-women) songwriting duo to create a full soundtrack for a Disney animated film. Two of their songs — “Beyond,” a soaring showcase for star Auli’i Cravalho (Moana), and “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (Maui) — will, Disney reveals, be submitted for Academy Award consideration.
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Like much of the musical theater-loving world, Walt Disney Music president Tom MacDougall first became aware of Barlow & Bear as a team through Bridgerton. (For Bear, it was also a full-circle moment: As an 8-year-old pianist, she had met MacDougall, who gifted her a Tangled score signed by storied composer Alan Menken that still hangs on her wall.) About three years ago, he met them for lunch to “sort of put it on our radar that he might have a project for us,” Barlow recalls. She and Bear didn’t expect much to come of it — but MacDougall was impressed by the storytelling in their Bridgerton music. “That spirit of deciding to musicalize this thing that wasn’t a musical gave me the confidence they could pull [a Disney film] off,” he says. “If they could conjure up the spirit to create songs where they didn’t exist, I had a good feeling that if we gave them moments to build songs around, they’d be able to deliver.”
Abigail Barlow (left) and Emily Bear
Maggie Shannon
A year later, in 2022, Barlow & Bear met with the creative team for Moana 2 — a sequel to the 2016 animated film about the titular young girl who sets out to save her Polynesian island — which was then planned as a Disney+ streaming series. “Both of us, weirdly, were going through similar struggles to what Moana faces in this new journey,” Bear explains. “It was easy to put ourselves in her shoes and understand that she’s just a young woman trying to find her place in the world, as are we.”
Around the middle of last year, Disney reenvisioned Moana 2 as a feature film — by which point Barlow & Bear were immersed in learning the ropes of composing for Disney, absorbing some imparted wisdom of their Moana composing predecessor, Lin-Manuel Miranda. “He gave me a stack of books about how to structurally craft a lyric not only to be storytelling-accurate, but to roll off the tongue, to fly off the page and into people’s minds and hearts,” Barlow says.
For her part, Bear dove into the treasure trove of foundational material from Moana by their soundtrack teammates, composers Opetaia Foa’i (a Samoan-born singer whose Polynesian music group, Te Vaka, performs on both Moana soundtracks) and Mark Mancina. “They recorded a huge library of logs and skins and vocal samples, so there were grooves that inspired entire songs,” Bear says. “Even if we started or wrote a song on our own, the root of it was still Opie.”
Though Barlow and Bear both admit that working on Moana 2 still feels surreal, they don’t have much time to soak it in: They’re booked and busy, in part because of that Grammy win. But both say the award’s significance to them was more symbolic. “We grew a lot as human beings through the whole [Bridgerton] process, and becoming like, ‘mature, professional girlie’ was something my soul desperately wanted and needed,” Barlow says. Bear agrees. “I’ve done a lot, but mostly as a kid, and for some reason that felt like it didn’t really count. I’ve been working so hard to outrun the ‘prodigy’ label,” she says. “[The Grammy] was really big for me because it was the first time people purely judged me based off music I did as an adult.”
Abigail Barlow (left) and Emily Bear
Maggie Shannon
Their post-Moana 2 slate as a duo includes the forthcoming biopic of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers starring Jamie Bell and Margaret Qualley and their first produced stage musical, currently in development with a creative team attached. Bear (who is also an Emmy winner for her score for the PBS documentary Life) has scored two forthcoming films: Anderson .Paak’s feature debut, K-Pops, and Our Little Secret, a Netflix Christmas film starring Lindsay Lohan. Barlow, with a chuckle, says she may soon “release the album I wrote, like, a year-and-a-half ago.”
And then there’s the mystery “little musical idea” that first brought them together, a “very production-heavy” show “bringing you down the rabbit hole of what pop musical theater can be… which is very dear to us,” Barlow says with a knowing grin. It’s a reminder of the excitement they felt when they first met — and still feel in any session together. “We’re in love, musically,” Barlow says, “for real.”
This story appears in the Oct. 26, 2024, issue of Billboard.
SZA is super stressed out in the first trailer for her upcoming film debut in the buddy comedy One of Them Days. The R-rated movie co-starring Keke Palmer focuses on a super relatable problem: paying the rent. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news According to a description of […]
The rest of us will have to wait one more month before we can see the first part of director Jon M. Chu’s big screen take on Wicked. Not Kim Kardashian. The Skims founder hosted her own private screening of the movie musical on Tuesday night (Oct. 22) at her home, where she was joined by stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.
She chronicled the special night on her Instagram Story, where fans could watch her narrate the special night, beginning with a walk through the front door flanked by a giant arch of pink balloons. “Okay, I just came home, look what we’re watching tonight,” Kardashian says as she passes a pair of Wicked movie posters and makes her way down the green carpet, past a series of huge pink flower arrangements.
“Look what Cynthia and Ariana set up for us,” she says as she walks up to a giant movie theater lobby standee featuring the co-stars posted in front of the title rendered in towering pink and green letters. “Oh my gosh, I’ve never been more excited,” Kardashian says as she moves further down the green carpet to another room featuring green-draped cocktail tables and another massive standee of Grande and Erivo as Glinda and Elphaba reaching out to each other.
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There were, of course, also themed green and pink drinks for Kardashian, her children and family, who all joined her for the screening that took place the night after Kim celebrated her 44th birthday. There was also copious swag for the kids, including Glinda and Elphaba Barbie dolls and Funko! Pop figures. The Story featured a foot pic of sisters Kylie, Khloé and Kourtney, and mother Kris Jenner, all standing in their pink socks and green pajamas, though Grande stood out in her green socks and pink jammies.
The Story ended with a huge group photo of the Kardashian crew — including Kim’s kids, North, Chicago and Psalm West, as well as Kourtney’s daughter Penelope, Khloé’s kids True and Tatum and Kyli’s daughter, Stormi Webster — flanking Grande and Erivo. “We laughed, we cried (a few times) and we loved it so much!” Kim captioned the pic. “Thank you @arianagrande and @cynthiaerivo for watching @wickedmovie with us tonight [pink and green heart emoji]. The most magical pajama party.”
The first part of the big screen adaptation of the Broadway musical — which also co-stars Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater and Bowen Yang — opens on Nov. 22.
Director Martin Scorsese is among the producers on an upcoming documentary about the Beatles‘ legendary first trip to the United States slated to stream exclusive on Disney+ starting Nov. 29. According to Variety, Beatles ’64 will feature never-before-seen footage of the band and its rabid fans at the height of Beatlemania.
Scorsese produced the doc directed by David Tedeschi (Personality Crisis: One Night Only), which will also feature new interviews with living Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. The film follows McCartney and Starr and late bandmates John Lennon and George Harrison as they land in New York in Feb. 1964, promising to reveal “a more intimate behind the scenes story” of the group’s iconic debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, as well as footage of the Fab Four’s first American show at the Washington D.C. Coliseum.
The quartet made their debut appearance on Sullivan’s variety show on Feb. 9, 1964, a performance that was seen by a record-breaking 73-million people and is often cited by musicians of a certain vintage as their inspiration for starting a rock band. Variety reported that the doc also features rare footage shot by documentarians Albert and David Maysles (Gimme Shelter).
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A synopsis of the film reads: “On February 7, 1964, The Beatles arrived in New York City to unprecedented excitement and hysteria. From the instant they landed at Kennedy Airport, met by thousands of fans, Beatlemania swept New York and the entire country. Their thrilling debut performance on The Ed Sullivan Show captivated more than 73 million viewers, the most watched television event of its time. Beatles ’64 presents the spectacle, but also tells a more intimate behind the scenes story, capturing the camaraderie of John, Paul, George, and Ringo as they experienced unimaginable fame.”
In addition to Scorsese – who also directed 2011’s George Harrison: Living in the Material World doc — other producers of the doc include McCartney, Starr, Harrison’s widow, Olivia Harrison, Lennon’s son, musician Sean Ono Lennon, and others.
The new Beatles doc will be accompanied by the Nov. 22 release of all seven American Beatles albums in a vinyl reissue collection entitled The Beatles: 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono; the albums will be available individually as well as in a box set. According to Variety, the reissue will include 180-gram albums that have been out of print on vinyl since 1995, including Meet the Beatles!, The Beatles’ Second Album, A Hard Day’s Night (Original Motion Picture Sound Track), Something New, The Beatles’ Story, Beatles ’65 and The Early Beatles.
Shawn Mendes fans will get a chance to hear the singer’s upcoming fifth studio album, Shawn, before its official release thanks to an upcoming live concert film. Mendes and Trafalgar Releasing announced on Thursday (Oct. 1) that Shawn Mendes: For Friends and Family Only (A Live Concert Film) will hit screens across the country for one-night-only on Nov. 14.
According to a release, the movie features a “heartfelt performance of the self-titled album in its entirety — for the very first time.” The movie was filmed at the historic 500-capacity Bearsville Theatre in Woodstock, NY and features footage of Mendes explaining the inspiration behind each song on the album as well as sharing personal stories, “giving fans an intimate look at the creative journey that shaped the music.”
A full list of participating theaters and showtimes will be announced soon, with fans encouraged to click here to request a screening in their city; tickets will go on sale on Oct. 24 at 10 a.m. ET.
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On Wednesday, Mendes announced that Shawn would be pushed back from its original Oct. 18 released date to Nov. 15. He explained, “My team and i have decided to push the album release date to November 15th. We just need a little bit more time to bring some new inspiration and ideas to life. I love you guys thank you for being so patient, I can’t wait to see you guys at the next few shows.”
The Woodstock show was the first in a limited run of intimate concerts Mendes performed in the cities where the album was recorded over a two-year stretch, a string that also included gigs in London, Brooklyn, Los Angeles and Seattle.
“Performing this album for the first time in such an intimate setting, surrounded by close friends, family, and the people who helped bring it to life, was truly special. I’m excited for fans around the world to feel that same connection through the film and get to experience the ‘Friends & Family’ shows before the album release,” Mendes said in a statement.
Trafalgar Releasing SVP of content acquisitions Kymberli Frueh added, “Shawn Mendes’ relatable lyrics and ability to connect with fans through his music are on full display in this intimate and authentic performance of his new album. This exclusive cinema event will be a special experience for fans across the globe.”
To date Mendes has released the singles “Why Why Why,” “Isn’t That Enough” and the moody “Nobody Knows,” which he debuted at last month’s 2024 VMAs. Mendes will continue his tour of Shawn live debut shows with an Oct. 14 gig at the iconic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, followed by an Oct. 18 show at the Brooklyn Paramount in Brooklyn, NY and an Oct. 22 stop at the Ford theater in Los Angeles.
Charli XCX told us that in order to properly embrace “Brat Summer” you need to be a little chaotic and “trashy.” But between dropping her Brat album in June, then cueing up the all-star deluxe edition, Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat version (due out on Oct. 11), co-executive producing the soundtrack for the movie Mother Mary and launching her Sweat Tour with Troy Sivan on Sept. 14, the 32-year old singer/songwriter has been anything but messy so far this year.
In fact, she’s been super productive and totally focused. Case in point: did you know that Charli filmed her debut movie role in director Pete Oh’s upcoming drama ERUPCJA? According to Variety, Charlie popped over to Poland for a few weeks in August to film her co-starring role in the drama that also features playwright/actor Jeremy O. Harris (Slave Play) and Lena Góra (Imago). The film reportedly explores the volatile relationship between two women — the title is the Polish word for “eruption” — Góra and XCX (whose character is named Bethany) on the latter’s visit to Warsaw.
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How is it possible to film a whole movie that co-stars the singer whose whole aesthetic was copped by Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign? It kind of isn’t, according to director Ohs. “[Charli] definitely got recognized a bunch of times,” Ohs said. “She was always really sweet. She took selfies with many a Polish fan.”
Co-star Harris said those photos are how their “secret project” got leaked. “I had a gut feeling that our plan to keep it low key was going to be difficult,” he said. “And that was affirmed the first night I went out in Poland. We were staying at the Nobu Hotel, and that’s close to the queer section, so I walked over to a gay bar, and there was a sign advertising a ‘Brat’ party.”
Harris said when the production moved to a nightclub to film a scene it was “almost impossible” to get it done because of the buzz about the “365” singer. “Every single person in the club was like, ‘Oh my god, Charli XCX is here to do a secret performance.’ And it was like, ‘She is, but not the one you think,’” he said. “We were shooting the same week Obama put her on his playlist as well, which is hilarious.”
Ohs also explained how he roped the pop star into one of his signature seat-of-your-pants productions, which are shot in order and written as they go along, with dialogue often conjured the day before, or morning of, filming. Before Charli dropped Brat in May, she bumped into Ohs and Harris — who had previously worked together on the HBO doc Slave Play. Not a Movie. A Play – at a bar in New York’s Lower East Side at 3 a.m., where Harris introduced her to Ohs.
After Harris described Ohs’ unique filmmaking process to Charli, the director said she responded, “‘I want to do one,’” to which he replied, “‘What are you doing in August? Want to come to Warsaw?”
Charli then reportedly DM’d Ohs the next day and said she was in. “The way he talked about making his films felt akin to making an album and the chance meeting also felt equivalent to the conversational and spontaneous nature of his film making,” Charli emailed Variety about working with Ohs. “Our processes felt linked in some kind of way and it felt right and exciting to pursue some kind of collaboration.”
Those pre-production chats also reportedly included Charli’s suggestion that she play against her brash, unapologetic persona. “She was like, ‘I think it should be completely not me. I feel like I could play super shy,’” Ohs said. “So we’re talking like, Charli XCX is completely unrecognizable as Bethany.”
Ohs added that, “Charli is an excellent actress. She is a performer. She understands what it’s like to have a camera pointed at her. She understands how to convey things through all the different ways in which we communicate, whether it’s with body language or your voice or your facial expressions. She had a scene where she cried, without being asked – she could deliver all the goods. She’s a legit actress. I am proud of us for making a movie this way during Brat summer.”
According to Variety, the film is the first in an upcoming string of big screen roles for Charli, which will also include Greg Araki’s erotic thriller “I Want Your Sex” with Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman, a remake of 1978’s documentary-style horror film Faces of Death, as well as Julia Jackman’s graphic novel adaptation 100 Nights of Hero. She is also producing original music for the Amazon comedy series Overcompensating.
The Brat remix album due out on Friday will have reimagined tracks featuring Robyn and Yung Lean, Ariana Grande, the 1975, Troye Sivan, Addison Rae, Lorde, Tinashe, Bon Iver and Billie Eilish, among others.