As Charli xcx’s burnt-out assistant in A24’s fastest-selling limited-release, The Moment, actor Trew Mullen finds herself on the brink of one. Co-star Isaac Powell talks to her about self-tapes, cast karaoke, and on-set zoomies.

At this point, it’s likely you’ve heard of The Moment – though perhaps less about Trew Mullen, whose uncanny knack for landing supporting roles alongside the coolest leads is starting to feel like a superpower. She first made a splash opposite Zoë Kravitz in Blink Twice, Kravitz’s directorial debut, playing the perpetually stoned Heather. Now, Trew returns as Ana: the don’t-fuck-with-me assistant to one of pop’s most singular forces, Charli xcx, in The Moment, the meta-mockumentary directorial debut from Glaswegian fashion photographer and music video whiz Aidan Zamiri.

No wonder she’s become a go-to for new directors chasing something off-kilter. She writes poetry. Dabbles in screenplays. Can convincingly mimic clicking fingers by tapping her tongue against her teeth. And, if looks counted for casting magic, she has the face of a Lily-Rose Depp and Angelina Jolie love child.

It’s January, a few weeks before the film hits cinemas, and until now, any request for a screener has been politely declined. So when I’m finally okayed to enter a screening, it feels as close to winning the lottery as I’ve ever got. The film is a satirical peep-show into pop stardom, inviting us behind the scenes of a rising star (Charli, playing a heightened BRAT-era version of herself ) on the precipice of a world tour, as she navigates the absurdities of becoming ‘the moment’, sustaining it, and eventually wishing it would *poof* disappear.

All of this unfolds under the watch of her team, her label, Amazon, and the fictional Howard Sterling bank – partners in a BRAT credit-card deal gone spectacularly wrong – while a narcissistic director, hilariously played by Alexander Skarsgård, circles like a caffeinated hawk. Think of it as a Halloween version of Charli’s life: part reality TV, part horror show, holding up a sensationalist mirror to her own chart-topping existence. It’s funny, sharp, and confrontationally terrifying. At its heart – and perhaps in its bleakest observation–The Moment exposes the fetishisation of celebrity as a brand: something to be controlled, manipulated, and sold. Anchoring all this chaos is Trew, whose unassuming charm and idiosyncratic appeal make her the perfect counterbalance to the film’s dizzying excess.

Between giggles, Trew reunites with co-star Isaac Powell for a warm conversation about preparing for the role, behind-the-scenes antics, and the creeping anxiety of becoming more visible.

Isaac Powell: Hi, Trew.

Trew Mullen: Hi, Isaac.

IP: I’m kind of amazed at the story of how you got into the industry. Could you recount it again? 

TM: [Laughs] What did I tell you?  

IP: It was something about how you literally just submitted your headshot to an agency, like one of the best agencies, and they were like, ‘Yeah, let’s go.’

TM: Perhaps I made it sound more dramatic [laughs]…but I guess it’s similar. I was in class and I was looking at all my peers who’d already been signed. I felt like I was the only one who hadn’t been. So I found a bunch of different emails secretly on IMDB from different reps. I was like, each week I’m gonna cold email a batch and hope someone replies. When I was emailing for the second batch, a week after the first, I got something in from one manager who wanted to meet me. I went in, it was a great conversation, and they just signed me on the spot. That was a good day! 

IP: I think it demonstrates the nerve that you have. It’s so important to just put yourself out there, because so many people don’t do that. And then for so many people who do that, it doesn’t always work out. So you’ve got great luck on your side too. What was your first big role? 

TM: My first big film project was Blink Twice. 

IP: And how did that come about? 

TM: I did a self-tape [laughs]. I remember almost not even wanting to do the self-tape because you do so many [as an actor]. I was so tired that day and had so many things going on. I was like, okay, let’s just get this over with. And then, of course, that’s the one you book! I did a few wacky tapes, could only choose one, sent it through, and then Zoë wanted to meet with me.

IP: Zoë Kravitz [laughs].

TM: If you must.

IP: Speaking of self-tapes, what do you remember about your self-tape for The Moment? What did you think when you first got the appointment and as you were making it, what were you feeling? Did it feel like a slam-dunk?

TM: I love that the [script’s] language felt very grounded on the page, which I was really excited about. I was shooting [something else] in Chicago at that time, so I was in a hotel room and I shot the self-tape in the hotel hallway, which is where the scene also takes place. So, you know, the film is very meta, but so was my audition. 

IP: Have you seen the movie? 

TM: I have. Have you?  

IP: I have. What was your gut reaction? What was your first response to the film? 

TM: I think it was just a beautiful piece of work that felt very intense and it had a little bit of a different tone than I was expecting. Did you feel the same? 

IP: Yeah. I think the film really took on a new life in the edit. ‘Cause we shot so much for this movie. I was really impressed with what they were able to create with the stuff that we made. And I agree, I thought tonally it took a different shape than I had anticipated, but it was really smart and really sharp. I was really impressed, especially this being Aidan’s first time making a movie. 

TM: He’s so talented.

IP: What was your favourite thing about working with Aidan?

TM: He has a very steady energy and he’s always upbeat. I wish I was that joyous every morning. I feel like he put a lot of trust in us to just play, especially with the way we were shooting and how [the camera] wasn’t [mounted on a tripod] most of the time. It allowed us to do whatever felt right, and the camera would find you if it wanted to find you.

IP: Are there any lessons that you learned working on this job that you’ll carry on to your next job?

TM: I feel like I watched Jamie [Demetriou] a lot. He almost had an alt idea for every single line. He would go to his notes or sometimes drop little things on the page in the moment, but every take it would be something slightly different. I just thought that was interesting to watch. And then I feel like Skarsgård took a lot of big swings, which is just always inspiring and gives you permission to be like, ‘Okay, you can do that.’ You can really make something of your own.

IP: In the film you play Ana, who is a personal assistant to Charli. Did you do any research into personal assistants of big stars? Do you know any? How did you prepare for Ana?

TM: Slightly, I mean I recalled a little bit of being on the Blink Twice set and remembering the assistants of Channing [Tatum] and Zoë [Kravitz]. I actually asked my sister because she’s a music publicist, I just felt like she might sometimes be in conversation with [artists’] personal assistants. But I mean, most of the work that I do is more internal than those external things. So it’s helpful for sure to be accurate. I think the internal stuff is more what I work with. 

IP: If you had to be a personal assistant to any big star, who would you pick?

TM: [Laughs] Maybe Ethel Cain. I feel like I just imagine being far away from the city and like roaming through…

IP: …that house in Nebraska. 

TM: It’s very romantic in my head.

IP: So we did a lot of off-set, cast bonding activities while we were shooting this movie. Do you have any good memories from any of those experiences?  

TM: We did karaoke. That was good. I did “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana.

IP: You were the first one, right?

TM: I was the first one to go because I knew if I waited, I wouldn’t be able to.

IP: It’s bold to be the person who volunteers to do karaoke first in front of one of the biggest pop stars in the world.

TM: That was completely my logic. I was like, if I don’t go first, I’m going to watch everyone go. I knew there were great singers in there too. I needed to go first. So the bar is low, it sets the tone because otherwise, I’m just going to sit there and get more nervous. What did you sing?

IP: I was not there. I fell asleep on the couch in a hotel around the corner. I was so sick. I was walking to the karaoke bar and I got there early. So I thought I’d just sit in the hotel lobby until the karaoke starts, but I fell asleep in the lobby of the hotel [laughs]. So I missed it, but I heard the stories afterwards. Okay, so from the moment I saw you, I said, ‘Put this girl in a prestige period piece, immediately.’ 

TM: [Laughs] Really?  

IP: Yes. If you were able to choose a period of history or a historical character to play, who or when would you choose?

TM: I feel like I’d want to do something in the 1920s. I don’t know who [I’d play], but the 1920s, for some reason, feels important. 

IP: I would love to see you in that, in that ‘20s style. You could rock that so well. Do you have any favourite directors that you’re dying to work with? 

TM: Sofia Coppola, Paul Thomas Anderson, Charlotte Wells, who did Aftersun. I just loved that so much.

IP: I’ve said this to you before, but I want to see you in a Robert Eggers [directed] film, really badly. I would love to see you in that world. What was your favourite moment of us together on set?

TM: I feel like what stands out is that time they just started blasting music [on set] for some reason. 

IP: I knew you were gonna say this.  

TM: What was that thing with wheels that we were rolling around on?

IP: It was just a piece of sound equipment that was on wheels. It was like a case that you carry amps or something in. 

TM: We were just rolling around on that in the stage warehouse and Rosanna [Arquette] really got into it too. 

IP: Everyone got into it. Alex Skarsgård got into it. A whole dance party erupted. It was like the whole cast got the zoomies at the same time. 

TM: Right, we were like, you know what? Let’s just shake it off.  

IP: That was the day we did that giant group scene, the only scene that everyone would be in together. That was a lot of fun. What do you think audiences will be most surprised by when the film releases?

TM: I think that it doesn’t rely on BRAT tracks. It leans much more on a score, which actually gives the film its own distinct mood. Because it’s tied to the BRAT era, I expected there might be more songs woven in, but I actually love the choice they made.

IP: This is obviously going to be a very splashy movie and Charli’s very good at starting a conversation. How do you feel about being part of something that is going to garner a lot of attention and internet conversation? 

TM: I feel very honoured, and I am a little self-conscious, in an exciting way – it’s just becoming more public-facing is an interesting phenomenon.  

IP: I don’t think I’ve ever been part of a film that is as anticipated as this one is. Obviously Charli’s got a built-in fan base. People are really hungry for her perspectives and points of views and anything she does, people gobble it up immediately. So there is something kind of nerve-wracking about being part of something that you know a lot of people are hungry for and going to have opinions about. Is any part of you excited about being on this wave?

TM: Yeah, absolutely. It’s great to have momentum and my team keeps using the term ‘The Moment’ like it’s an actual term for this moment in my career. I think it’s a blessing and it’s very exciting. It’s been crazy to even see just how much energy is already behind it when they’ve been rather cryptic so far with the promotion of it.  

IP: Are you going to Sundance [Film Festival]? Have you been before? 

TM: I’ve never been to any festival. So it’s a first. 

IP: Good first one, and the last time it’s going to be there. I think it’s incredible that this is going to be both of our first Sundance. It’s the last one in Park City. It’s the year that [actor and director] Robert Redford passed away. This is gonna be a really special year to be at Sundance, and this is a really special film to be part of at Sundance. So I’m really excited for you, and for all of us involved.

TM: I’m excited for you!

Pre-order Wonderland’s Spring 26 Issue here.

Photography by Pat Martin

Styling by Anastasya Kolomytseva

Words by Ella Bardsley

Interview by Isaac Powell