Which cult director chose Charli xcx to star an erotic thriller?

I Want Your Sex, Gregg Araki’s new film

Who said the “Brat Summer” was over? After making the headlines for the past three months with her latest album Brat, her videos and glowing remixes, Charli xcx will soon be making a big splash in the cinema industry.

The singer is set to star in the eagerly-awaited film, I Want Your Sex, by cult indie filmmaker Gregg Araki (The Doom Generation, Mysterious Skin, Nowhere).

Known for his trashy, violent, counterculture, sexy aesthetic, the American director has a knack for bringing magnetic stars to the screen, such as Rose McGowan, Chiara Mastroianni, Eva Green, Shannen Doherty, Roxane Mesquida, Juno Temple and Traci Lords have already starred in his films.

In addition to Charli xcx, Gregg Araki has made a bold move by casting actress and director Olivia Wilde (Don’t Worry Darling, Tron: Legacy), as well as Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza), Philip Seymour Hoffman’s son, to star in I Want Your Sex.

Recently, Gregg Araki’s work has been focusing on TV shows and series (American Gigolo, Now Apocalypse, 13 Reasons Why, Riverdale, American Crime) – the last feature film he shot being the sublime and disturbing White Bird released in 2014.

Charli xcx, Olivia Wilde, and Cooper Hoffman to star in an erotic thriller

His return to the silver screen is therefore closely watched, especially since the subject matter is proving to be really exciting… Described as a thriller, and probably an erotic one, and co-written with sex columnist Karley Sciortino, the shooting of the film is scheduled for the next few weeks in Los Angeles.

As it is always the case with Gregg Araki, I Want Your Sex dives into the themes of desire, domination and fantasy, while reversing patriarchal patterns…

According to Variety, the film asks the question: “How far is too far?” The synopsis? “When fresh-faced Elliot (Cooper Hoffman) lands an exciting job for renowned artist, icon and provocateur Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde), his fantasies come true as Erika taps him to become her sexual muse. But Elliot soon finds himself out of his depth as Erika takes him on a journey more profound than he ever could have imagined, into a world of sex, obsession, power, betrayal and murder.”

A feminist version of the Arabian Nights and a film by Romain Gavras

Charli xcx had already lent her voice to the cartoon Ugly Dolls (2019) and written tracks for the soundtracks of Bottoms (2023), Barbie (2023) and Angry Birds (2016). In addition to this new ambitious project, she will be starring in another feature, entitled Faces of Death.

This horror film directed by Daniel Goldhaber (Sabotage, Cam) promises to be “a collection of violent scenes staging the fictional death of human beings”. Besides, another Gen Z idol will be part of the cast: Barbie Ferreira, one of the protagonists in the series Euphoria. It couldn’t get more cutting-edge than that…

According to Variety, Charli xcx was also present on the set of Pete Ohs’ Erupcja last summer in Poland. In the film, the singer embodies an American woman who travels to Warsaw to visit her Polish friend.

Charli xcx will also be starring alongside Nicolas Galitzine, Emma Corrin, and Maika Monroe (Longlegs) in a feminist adaptation by Isabel Greenberg of the Arabian Nights, entitled The One Hundred Nights of Hero, as well as in Sacrifice directed by Romain Gavras, starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Salma Hayek. The least we can say is that, whether on set or in the studio, the singer knows how to surround herself…

I Want Your Sex (2025) by Gregg Araki, starring Charli xcx and Olivia Wilde, has no release date yet.

Translation Emma Naroumbo Armaing.