Kesha makes a spontaneous ‘Ghost Story’ cameo
‘Tik Tok’ pop star also co-wrote a song for the drama
In A Ghost Story, the most unexpected guest at a suburban house party isn’t a bedsheet-clad phantom.
Instead, it’s Kesha, the glittery pop rebel of Tik Tok fame who has been caught up in a legal battle with mega-producer Dr. Luke, whom she has accused of sexual assault. The singer/songwriter makes a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance midway through
Ghost Story (in theaters Friday in New York and Los Angeles, expands to additional cities through July) at a get-together in the former Dallas home of the late C (Casey Affleck) and his partner, M (Rooney Mara).
The heady drama’s director, David Lowery, considers himself a Kesha superfan, citing Die
Young, Warrior and C’mon as some of the “most anthemic pieces of pop in the last 20 years.”
He hoped to use a Kesha song in a party sequence, but wound up getting her to not only appear in the movie but also co-write a tune that plays in the background.
The cameo was a “crazy coincidence,” Lowery says. “(A) friend was at a party that Kesha just happened to be at and was like, ‘Hey, I’ve got some friends in Texas and they want you to be in their movie.’ Two days later, she flew to Texas and did it. It was so last-minute and spontaneous that I was really worried that she’d get there and be disappointed and realize that she had very little to actually do in that scene. ... Thankfully, she did it and had a blast.”
In the scene, professional magician Jared Kopf performs tricks for Kesha, who is credited as “Spirit Girl” in the movie.
“All of the dialogue is just him performing and her reacting naturally,” Lowery says. “We set up a camera and shot it live, so it’s 100% just her. But in part of his routine, he always invokes a spirit. He knew what the movie was about, so he was playing it up and she was responding. It’s very on the nose on one level, but also very appropriate on another.”
Kesha’s song, titled Last One and performed by Detroit twinsister duo Stereo Jane, was cowritten with Toby Halbrooks and Andrew Tinker, who wrote music for Lowery’s Pete’s Dragon remake last year.
“They had written a beat with a hook and asked her if she would finish it,” Lowery says. “She went and wrote the rest of it, and it was just kind of a dream come true.”
The filmmaker hopes to again collaborate with the singer, who has guest-starred on TV shows including Nashville, Jane the Virgin and Animals. “I’d love to make a movie just starring her. She’s a wonderful presence and a wonderful human being,” Lowery says. “I know she loves whales and has a giant whale tattoo, and whales are my favorite animal. ... I haven’t thought that far ahead, but I could spend 20 minutes just thinking about her personality and her spirit, and a story would emerge.”
“I’d love to make a movie just starring her. She’s a wonderful presence.” Director David Lowery