Charlotte Kirk plays a pop star in the improvised Christmas romcom Christmas & Chaos, addressing her past industry trials and a 2017 non-disclosure agreement while reflecting on her career in Hollywood.
After a recent run of genre films including action and horror projects, actor and producer Charlotte Kirk stars alongside composer Ben McGregor and a comedic Jason Isaacs in the unscripted holiday feature directed by Jamie Adams. Speaking from London on Wednesday, Kirk opened up about her career, her autism diagnosis at a young age, and the personal experiences that shaped her approach to building her own production slate.
Kirk Stars in Christmas Comedy
- Charlotte Kirk stars as a demanding pop star alongside Ben McGregor in the unscripted Christmas comedy Christmas & Chaos, directed by Jamie Adams.
- The 34-year-old producer and actor has spent a decade in Los Angeles, maintaining a busy production schedule of two films per year through her own company.
- Kirk remains bound by a 2017 non-disclosure agreement stemming from a complex Hollywood scandal, though she has sought to have the agreement lifted under California law.
Unscripted Holiday Comedy
Kirk stars as Sadie, a fragile pop star with a monstrous ego who has just two weeks to create three hit songs with a handsome and heartbroken composer, played by McGregor, under the direction of an impresario played by Isaacs via video call.
Collaborating with director Jamie Adams, Kirk helped shape the story without a traditional script, relying entirely on improvisation during production. “[Sadie] talking to her ex-partner on the phone – there was a little bit of truth in that with my ex [Marshall]. Little things here and there. When I watch the movie, I’m like, ‘I think Charlotte came out there for a second,’” Kirk told The Guardian regarding how her personal life bled into the unscripted scenes.
“Living in LA for 10 years, I’ve come across a lot of interesting, wild, wonderful, not-so-very-nice people,” Kirk told The Guardian. Moving to the US at age 18 from a working-class British background, she pursued acting opportunities that felt less restricted by class divisions than the UK film and television industry.
That early ambition was fueled in part by her childhood autism diagnosis, which gave her a distinct fearlessness. “I didn’t see fear in that way. Maybe if I didn’t have autism, I wouldn’t have gone,” Kirk told The Guardian, adding that she was also “a bit naive, not knowing who to trust, just taking everyone at their word.”
Later in the conversation, she reflected, “I trusted a lot of people, and the wrong people, and I shouldn’t have.”
Restrictive Agreements
During her time building her career in the US, Kirk became embroiled in a high-profile scandal involving allegations of sexual harassment and extortion, featuring some of the industry’s most powerful men who have denied wrongdoing and described their relationships with Kirk as consensual. Because she remains bound by the terms of at least two non-disclosure agreements, she did not discuss the specifics of the scandal during the interview.
Kirk has previously attempted to have the NDA she signed in 2017 lifted under a California law that limited the use of such agreements in sexual harassment cases.
“Just talking in general, there are things that have been written about me, and a lot of it is not true,” Kirk told The Guardian carefully, adding that while many people are unaware of the past controversy, “hopefully, one day I’ll be able to tell the truth.”
Following the recent conviction of comedian and actor Russell Brand on rape and sexual assault charges, Kirk expressed fatigue regarding industry exposés.
“I’m kind of immune to it now,” Kirk told The Guardian, noting, “I’m like, yeah, another one. There are plenty more out there. A lot of people think, ‘Just because we took down Weinstein and Epstein, then it’s all over.’ But there’s a lot more out there continuing to do things every day.”
Kirk Produces Two Films Yearly
To maintain creative control and steady employment in an industry that has frequently presented obstacles, Kirk produces roughly two films a year through her own company. Her recent slate includes the crime film Duchess (2024) and The Spiral Down, both associated with director and co-writer Neil Marshall.
Looking ahead, she anticipates a sequel to Duchess and a role in a forthcoming project early next year that she describes as slightly controversial. “Producing is necessary so I can tell the stories and do the things that I want to do,” Kirk told The Guardian.
