“Faces of Death” Director Reveals How Charli xcx Got ‘First Real' Movie Role, Whether American Accent Was Her Idea (Exclusive)
“Faces of Death” Director Reveals How Charli xcx Got ‘First Real' Movie Role, Whether American Accent Was Her Idea (Exclusive)
Bailey RichardsSat, April 18, 2026 at 1:00 PM UTC
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Charli xcx; Charli xcx in 'Faces of Death'Credit: Karwai Tang/WireImage; Brian Roedel/Independent Film Company -
Charli xcx pursued her role in Faces of Death by reaching out to director Daniel Goldhaber and telling him she is a "fan" of his 2018 movie Cam
The British singer shaped her character Gabby’s wardrobe and American accent, drawing inspiration from Fight Club
Since filming Faces of Death pre-Brat, Charli has amassed several film credits — with more to come
Warning: Spoilers ahead for Faces of Death.
Charli xcx’s blossoming acting career can find its roots in Faces of Death.
The British musician, 33, appears in the newly released horror film as Gabby, who makes brief appearances opposite on-screen coworker Margot (Barbie Ferreira). The pair work as content moderators for a video platform, where they showcase very different viewpoints on video violence. (Put simply: Gabby is a fan, and Margot is not.)
The gorehound was the very last role that the Faces of Death filmmakers needed to fill, director Daniel Goldhaber tells PEOPLE, and Charli got it because, well, she “reached out.”
After seeing news that the film, led by Ferreira, 29, and Dacre Montgomery, was headed to production, the director says the Brat musician “reached out and was like, ‘Hey, can I be in Faces of Death?’ And I was like, ‘Yes. There is one role we haven't cast. Would you like to play it?’ And she was like, ‘Great.’ ”
Charli xcx in 'Faces of Death'Credit: IFC Films
It was that simple, and the director tells PEOPLE Charli was interested, at least in part, because she was a “fan” of Cam, the 2018 psychological thriller directed by Goldhaber and penned by Isa Mazzei. (Goldhaber and Mazzei also co-wrote Faces of Death.)
Filmed in 2023, just before Brat catapulted Charli to a new level of superstardom, the horror movie marked the singer's “first real role in a movie,” Goldhaber says.
Charli even had a ton of control over Gabby, from her wardrobe to her American accent — the latter of which Goldhaber says was the artist's idea.
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When asked if he helped shape the accent — a notable switch for longtime followers of the musician — the director tells PEOPLE, “That was all her.”
“Charli came in and had a very specific idea of what she wanted her wardrobe for Gabby to be,” he says. “She was like, ‘I wanna have Marla Singer from Fight Club vibes in this movie.’ And I was like, "Great.’ … that's just how I like to work with people.”
Daniel Goldhaber at the L.A. 'Faces of Death' premiereCredit: Kayla Oaddams/Getty
Montgomery, 31, also had a huge hand in shaping his murderous Faces of Death character, Arthur, who re-creates and uploads videos of the kills shown in the 1978 mondo horror film.
“Generally speaking, that's just how I like to work with actors,” Goldhaber says. “I like to work with really brilliant, creative people who bring themselves to their role and to their approach to material.”
“And I think that every single person in this film, you know, had a real hand in the creation of their character and the exploration of their character,” he adds.
Since shooting Faces of Death, Charli has been racking up film credits. The singer’s catalog already includes The Gallerist, 100 Nights of Hero and The Moment, and she is set to appear in forthcoming projects Erupcja, I Want Your Sex, Dakota Johnson’s directorial debut A Tree Is Blue and an untitled project from director Takashi Miike.
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Faces of Death — which also stars Josie Totah, Aaron Holliday and Jermaine Fowler — is in theaters now.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
