Ayo Edebiri’s latest film sees a music journalist come up against a cult
BY YASMIN VINCE, IMAGE BY A24
Fans of Midsommar will love A24’s new film, Opus. The film sees Ariel (Ayo Edebiri) head to a remote compound to interview rockstar Alfred Moretti (John Malkovich). When she gets there, she finds that he has amassed a bit of a cult following – in the literal sense.
There are plenty of familiar faces in this film, so here’s where you might have seen them before…
Ayo Edebiri (Ariel Ecton)
A favourite in the queer community, Ayo Edebiri is the star of this film. She plays Ariel, a young journalist who is invited to spend the weekend with Alfred Moretti when he comes out of retirement.
Ayo has won several awards, including a Golden Globe, two SAG awards and an Emmy, for her role as Sydney in The Bear. She was also one of the leads in the incredibly funny film Bottoms, where she played Josie, a teenager who sets up a fight club in order to get closer to her cheerleading crush.
Juliette Lewis (Clara Armstrong)
Clara is another journalist invited to the compound. But the difference between her and Ariel is that she is a well-known TV journalist and an old friend of Alfred.
This character has been taken on by Juliette Lewis, who many will recognise as Nat in Yellowjackets. Before that, she was Audrey Griswold in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Becky in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, and Danielle Bowden in Cape Fear. For the final one, she was nominated for an Oscar.
John Malkovich (Alfred Moretti)
Alfred Moretti, in the world of Opus, is the biggest rockstar who ever lived. And he’s making a comeback. In the film, he’s played by John Malkovich, another Oscar nominee. He was nominated for his roles as Mr Will in Places In The Heart and Mitch Leary in In The Line Of Fire.
Murray Bartlett (Stan)
Ariel’s boss, Stan, is played by Murray Bartlett, who won an Emmy for his role as Armond in the first season of The White Lotus, the same season in which Jennifer Coolidge said, “These gays are trying to kill me!”
Amber Midthunder (Belle)
One of Alfred’s most devoted followers is played by Amber Midthunder, best known for her roles as Kerry Loudermilk in Legion and Rosa Ortecho in Roswell, New Mexico.
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