Charli XCX to Make Cameo in Martin Scorsese's 'What Happens at Night' With Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, Variety Reports

Charli XCX will make a cameo in Martin Scorsese's upcoming film "What Happens at Night," which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, according to an exclusive report published Thursday, Oct. 22, by Variety's Elsa Keslassy and Ellise Shafer. Variety attributed the casting to unnamed sources and reported that details of the singer's part are being kept under wraps.

TheWrap reported the casting shortly afterward. In a story by Casey Loving, the outlet said Charli XCX "will have a cameo rather than a main role in the film" and that it was unclear what the role would involve beyond that.

Representatives for Charli XCX, Apple and StudioCanal did not immediately respond to Variety's request for comment. Rolling Stone reported that representatives for Charli XCX, Scorsese, Apple and StudioCanal did not immediately respond to its requests for comment.

The film and its cast

"What Happens at Night" is adapted from Peter Cameron's 2020 novel of the same name. TheWrap describes the story as following "a married American couple who travel to a small, snowy European town to adopt a baby," and says the film has been described as a Gothic psychological horror feature. Rolling Stone's Charisma Madarang reported that the couple run into a cast of peculiar hotel guests while they struggle with the adoption.

DiCaprio and Lawrence play the couple. The cast also includes Mads Mikkelsen, Patricia Clarkson and Jared Harris, according to Variety and TheWrap. The Czech Film Commission's production listing also names Welker White in the cast. The commission lists the filming dates in the Czech Republic as Feb. 27 to April 9, 2026, a total of 28 shooting days.

The project is an Apple Original Films release produced by Apple Studios with StudioCanal. According to TheWrap, Scorsese is directing and producing for his company Sikelia Productions, with DiCaprio, Lawrence and Daniel Lupi also serving as producers. Executive producers include Lisa Frechette and Marianne Bower for Sikelia, Jennifer Davisson for DiCaprio's Appian Way, and Justine Ciarrocchi for Lawrence's Excellent Cadaver, along with Anna Marsh, Shana Eddy Grouf and Aaron Ensweiler for StudioCanal.

A first-look image from the production was released in March. Variety's Zack Sharf reported on March 19 that DiCaprio and Scorsese jointly posted the photo, which shows DiCaprio and Lawrence walking hand in hand through a wintry landscape. Sharf noted that the film marks the first time Lawrence has been directed by Scorsese. DiCaprio, who has worked with the director on films including "Gangs of New York," "The Aviator," "Shutter Island" and "The Wolf of Wall Street," told Lawrence during a Variety "Actors on Actors" conversation that Scorsese is "going to give you a lot of film references," adding, "They usually come in the form of a DVD."

The film is Scorsese's first narrative feature since "Killers of the Flower Moon" (2023), which also starred DiCaprio and was made with Apple. That film received 10 Academy Award nominations, including best picture, according to Variety and TheWrap. No release date has been announced for "What Happens at Night."

An earlier collaboration on an album cover

The casting follows an earlier collaboration between the singer and the director. Charli XCX's album "Music, Fashion, Film," released in July, features a cover photo of Scorsese alongside musician John Cale and designer Marc Jacobs, with each man representing one of the art forms in the title. Rolling Stone reported that the black-and-white image shows the three seated together in a kitchen.

Cale described being recruited for the shoot in an interview with Rolling Stone. "She said she had an idea to run by me," he told the magazine. "There was talk of a video, an ode to an imprint of time and place. Next thing, I was on a flight. Ended up in a random kitchen."

Variety reported that cinema inspired the album and that the "Brat" singer has appeared in seven films over the past two years. Titles named across the reports include "The Moment," a mockumentary directed by her frequent collaborator Aidan Zamiri in which she plays a fictionalized version of herself and holds a story credit, as well as Gregg Araki's "I Want Your Sex," Cathy Yan's "The Gallerist," "Faces of Death" and Julia Jackman's "100 Nights of Hero." Rolling Stone also listed an untitled Takashi Miike film.

Her film work has extended to music as well. Pitchfork's Hattie Lindert reported that Charli XCX wrote the soundtrack for Emerald Fennell's "Wuthering Heights," which included her first collaboration with Cale, the song "House," and co-wrote music for A24's "Mother Mary."

Tour schedule

The news arrived as Charli XCX finishes the North American leg of her tour supporting "Music, Fashion, Film." Rolling Stone reported that the leg ends Friday, Oct. 23, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Variety reported that the tour moves to Europe in February.