Pop star Charli XCX shows a great reverence for horror as she heads into the release of her new album, “Music, Fashion, Film.” Recently, she gave fans a taste of her album’s stylistic scope by revealing she’s worked with iconic director David Cronenberg (“The Fly,” “Videodrome,” “Scanners”) for the project. Now, she’s enlisted famed actor Vincent Cassel, best known for his role in Darren Aronofsky’s 2010 psychological horror/thriller “Black Swan.”
Cassel’s work includes “Underwater” with Kristen Stewart, “Jason Bourne,” “Ocean’s Twelve,” “Westworld” and “Shrek.” He also previously worked with Cronenberg for 2011’s “A Dangerous Method” and 2024’s body horror film “The Shrounds.” He can add a music video for Charli XCX to his legendary resume, as he steps into the artist’s unique cinematic world for the very first time.
Charli XCX Explores Behind the Scenes in ‘Camera’
Vincent Cassel becomes the focal point of Charli XCX’s “Camera” video. Shot in black and white, the visual follows Cassel working on a set for what appears to be a high-budget action/thriller. The camera swirls around to capture the perfect shot, and various crew members step into and out of frame before revealing Charli XCX riding a camera dolly as the director.
In true Cassel fashion, the actor fully commits to telling the bite-sized story, a small puzzle piece to the singer’s new album. There’s blood and a whole bunch of emotional acting moments. Cassel performs through the camera, which gives the “Camera” video a bit of gravitas and punch for the viewer.
The video is directed by Aidan Zamiri, a frequent Charli XCX collaborator who’s recently worked on her “Wink Wink” and “Rock Music” videos. Zamiri has also created stunning visuals for Billie Eilish and FKA Twigs, among others. He will serve as a producer for horror filmmaker Takashi Miike’s new, yet-untitled film, which will star Charli XCX.
Zamiri made a big splash this year with his feature film directorial debut, “The Moment,” conceived from a story by Charli XCX and also starring the singer. The duo first worked together for a branded video in 2023, but they “became proper friends over the course of making [‘The Moment’],” Zamiri told Interview Magazine. “We just got each other, and I think we really connected on a creative level.”
Charli XCX’s “Music, Fashion, Film” arrives on July 24, 2026, via Atlantic Records.
Charli XCX is Having a Big Year
Charli XCX is all over the place this year. Not only does she star in “The Moment,” which played Sundance, but she also stars in Greg Akari’s “I Want Your Sex” and Cathy Yan’s “The Gallerist.”
During a Sundance panel, she admitted that she wants her “Brat” era to stop. “I think for all of us as artists, you wanna challenge yourself and you wanna totally switch the creative soup that you’re in and go and live in a different bowl for a while,” she said, as Rolling Stone reported on the ground. “I really just want to work with these incredible directors like Aidan, Gregg and Cathy, who I feel like I can just live completely different lives with.”
The pop star also made her official horror film debut this year in Daniel Goldhaber’s “Faces of Death,” a bold reimagining of the 1978 original mockumentary. Suffice it to say, she won’t be leaving the horror space anytime soon.
