Charli XCX dishes on her 'nightmare' movie about the music industry

NEW YORK – Charli XCX is on a mission to kill "Brat."

After more than a decade of flirting with mainstream ubiquity, the British pop star launched into the pop-culture stratosphere with her slime-green 2024 album "Brat," which went on to define an entire summer (and ill-fated presidential campaign).

But in new mockumentary "The Moment" (in theaters nationwide Feb. 6), Charli XCX wrestles with the cost of fame and how far she's willing to go to keep the momentum going. Although the film takes the "Brat" phenomenon to outrageous extremes, the story is grounded in emotional truth for the Grammy-winning singer (real name: Charlotte Aitchison).

"I don't think I'm quite that much of a nightmare the whole time, although I wouldn't really be the best person to ask about that," Aitchison joked on stage during a post-screening Q&A on Feb. 3 at Brooklyn's Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, where fans could order "Bumpin' That 365" churro popcorn and "Club Classics" chicken sandwiches.

"The thing about the Charli in the film is all of the scenarios that my character goes through could have happened if I made slightly different decisions in my own life and in my own career," Aitchison, 33, said. "Having been an artist who's been in the industry since I was 15, I've experienced times where people – whether that be labels or whoever else – really tried to mold me and change who I am."

In the past, "people have been like, 'You don't smile enough! You need to brush your hair or else you’re never sell any records!' They were right about that for quite a long time, by the way."

"The Moment" is directed by photographer Aidan Zamiri, who also helmed her music videos "360" and "Guess" featuring Billie Eilish. Zamiri and Aitchison worked closely with cowriter Bertie Brandes to crack the movie, which chronicles a dramatic shift for Charli as an artist, as people start to see her in a different light.

"That's what happened with the record 'Brat,'" Aitchison explained. "It opened me up to so much of a wider audience than ever before: some of whom deeply understood me and some of whom understood this version of me that they thought to be true. That can drive somebody quite mad, because often you feel very misunderstood and you can second-guess yourself."

Although most of the scenes are heavily fictionalized, there are some moments pulled from real life: "I have definitely screamed and smoked a million cigs in the back of a car before," Aitchison said, laughing. "That was every day!"

"The Moment" features a star-studded cast including Kate Berlant, Isaac Powell, Rosanna Arquette, Rachel Sennott and Alexander Skarsgård, all playing a mix of characters or heightened versions of themselves. Kylie Jenner also makes an amusing cameo at a spa in Ibiza, where she pushes a burned-out Charli to keep the "Brat" train rolling. (After all, it seems like nobody wants to work these days.)

"The first scene we shot was with Rachel and the last was with Kylie," Aitchison recalled. "It bookended with two legends. The Kylie scene was so fun because it was so easy and effortless, and she really played with it and did her thing. That was one of my favorite scenes."

"The Moment" premiered at Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, last month. It currently holds 64% positive reviews from critics on aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.