Charli XCX is trading stadium stages for cinema screens this winter, and she’s making it clear: brat summer is officially over.
At the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, the three-time Grammy winner made a stunning pivot from pop icon to serious actor with not one, but three film premieres.
Her double-feature debut at the Eccles Theatre on Friday showcased her range in both comedy and drama, proving she’s more than ready to leave her chart-topping persona behind.
And based on the crowd’s reaction, Hollywood might have just found its newest breakout star.
Saying Goodbye to Brat
Speaking at the premiere of The Moment, a meta mockumentary about fame and identity, Charli didn’t hold back about her desire to move forward.
Right now, unlike the me in The Moment, I am sort of really wanting brat to stop. And actually really pivot as far away from it as possible. And that’s not because I don’t love it, it’s just because I think for all of us as artists, you wanna challenge yourself.
The comment drew laughs from festival attendees, but it revealed something deeper about Charli’s artistic evolution. She’s not running from her success—she’s hungry for new creative challenges.
Director Aidan Zamiri echoed this sentiment after The Moment screening, describing his film as exploring “the terror of letting something go.” For Charli, that something is the cultural phenomenon that defined her 2023.
Flexing Comedic Muscles in I Want Your Sex
Gregg Araki’s first feature in a decade gave Charli her first major comedic role. She plays Minerva, described by Araki himself as the “bitchy American girlfriend” opposite Cooper Hoffman’s character Elliot.
The film—a star-studded sex romp featuring Olivia Wilde—follows Elliot as he becomes artist Erika Tracy’s sexual muse. Murder and twisted power dynamics follow in classic Araki fashion.
Hoffman couldn’t stop praising Charli’s dedication and talent on set.
She came to set right after performing at some stadium. It was incredible, it was so fantastic. And she did this whole long, incredible show, and then showed up and killed it. She plays my girlfriend who doesn’t want to have sex with me, and she’s hilarious.
Araki himself acknowledged the festival had become something of a Charli XCX showcase, joking on the red carpet about the singer’s omnipresence.
This is like the Charli XCX, Olivia Sundance, and we’re all just happy to be here.
A Meta Mockumentary About Fame
The Moment hits closest to home for Charli, playing a rising star embarking on her first arena tour. The hyper-pop comedy explores fame’s absurdity and creative struggles through a distinctly meta lens.
Fans won’t have trouble spotting parallels between Charli the character and Charli the real-life performer. She literally took a day off from her brat tour to film with Araki’s ensemble cast.
The timing is perfect, too—wrapping brat summer while filming about letting go of success feels almost too on-the-nose.
Building an Impressive Film Resume
Saturday brought Charli’s third Sundance premiere with Cathy Yan’s The Gallerist, capping off an incredibly busy transition year for the artist.
Beyond Sundance, she’s already delivered standout performances in:
- Julia Jackman’s 100 Nights of Hero
- Pete Ohs’ Erupcja
- Romain Gavras’ Sacrifice
If Sundance reception signals anything, adding “movie star” to her resume won’t be difficult. Festival audiences responded enthusiastically to both performances, suggesting Charli’s screen presence translates as powerfully as her stage charisma.
Living in Different Creative Bowls
Charli’s approach to her film career reveals sophisticated artistic thinking. She’s not just dabbling in acting—she’s seeking transformative creative experiences.
You wanna totally switch the kind of creative soup you’re in and go and live in a different bowl for a while, and just feel enriched by that. And I think that’s how I feel about the projects I’m taking on in film. I really just want to work with these incredible directors, like Aidan, Gregg Araki, Cathy Yan, who I feel like I can just live completely different lives with.
Her choice of directors speaks volumes. Araki brings underground indie credibility, Yan offers genre-bending vision, and Zamiri represents bold emerging voices. These aren’t safe mainstream choices—they’re partnerships with auteurs who challenge conventions.
As Sundance prepares to uproot its 45-year festival next year, Charli’s presence this winter marks both an ending and beginning. Brat summer may be over, but Charli XCX’s evolution as an artist is just getting started.
Whether she’ll maintain music while pursuing acting remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: she’s hungry for creative reinvention, and she’s choosing collaborators who will push her into completely new territory.