Dave Franco‘s character Xavier plummets to his death within the first minute of “The Afterparty.” But there’s plenty more to learn about the dweeb-turned-pop-superstar, whose origins and motivations unravel across eight episodes of Chris Miller and Phil Lord’s whodunnit, which premiered on Apple TV Plus on Jan. 28.
While the series only gives viewers a small taste of Xavier’s music, now fans of “The Afterparty” can enjoy four fully produced songs from the fictional artist on his brand new EP, “R.I.P. Xavier.”
On TikTok, users can join Franco in a duet on “Do Wet,” which features profound lyrics such as: “Champagne pouring (I like to do wet) / Hit it in the morning (I like to do wet).”
@appletvplus #DuetDoWet – Fill in the gaps with what you like to do wet #RIPXavier #TheAfterparty ♬ Do Wet – Xavier
The ironic “Imma Live Forever” features Xavier surviving death-defying acts but ends with a title card that reads, “Tragically, Xavier died shortly after filming this video.” It’s a clever callback to the show, but Franco notes that the joke is lost on people who haven’t seen the show and might not recognize him.
“People online who don’t recognize me in this part are wondering, ‘What is going on there? I don’t want to be insensitive, but this guy just made a music video about how he’s going to live forever and then he actually died after making this?'” Franco tellsPvNew. “I just love that people are taking Xavier seriously as a musician.”
The fact that Xavier’s songs could reasonably be mistaken for pop radio fodder is a testament to Franco’s commitment to the character, as well as producer Stelios Phili, who’s worked with artists such as A$AP Ferg and SZA.
Franco had never sung professionally before, but he says his vocal coach and music supervisor “recognized my vocal limitations from the get-go and created all these songs that they knew were in my wheelhouse.”
The character of Xavier recalls Andy Samberg’s Conner4Real from the 2016 Lonely Island film “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.” But as far as real-life music influences, Franco avoids naming names for fear of causing offense, as “on the surface, this character is a huge douche.”
“The Afterparty,” which also stars Sam Richardson, Tiffany Haddish, Ben Schwartz, Zoë Chao, Ilana Glazer, Ike Barinholtz and Jamie Demetriou, follows a group of former classmates as they attend their 15-year high school reunion and reconnect at Xavier’s cliffside mansion. When Xavier winds up murdered at his own afterparty, everyone becomes a suspect, recounting their version of the night in a variety of cinematic styles.
“I essentially got to play a douchey character in every single different genre,” Franco says. “The most fun for me was the flashback episode that was somewhat of an homage to ’90s teen comedies because you get to see what Xavier was like in high school, and as an audience you start to understand why he is the way he is and why he’s acting out.”
Franco adds, “In high school, he wasn’t the coolest kid and he desperately wanted to be accepted by his peers, but his desperation ended up pushing everyone away. So when he grew up and became this famous pop star, it went to his head and he overcompensated, and he really started to lord that power over everyone else because of how they treated him in the past.”
Franco previously worked with Lord and Miller on the “Jump Street” films and “The LEGO Ninjago Movie.” Calling them “some of the best creators we have working today,” Franco adds that he adores the filmmaking duo so much he’d even work for them as an extra.
“I just trust them inherently,” Franco says. “And when that’s the case, it allows me to be really free as an actor and to take risks knowing that they’re gonna protect my performance. They’re never going to use anything that doesn’t work. Truly, this job reminded me how much fun acting can be, and I just want to work with those guys forever.”
Hopefully “The Afterparty” isn’t the last of the ill-fated pop star, as Franco says he would do as many Xavier-related spinoffs as Miller and Lord will allow.
“If we were able to make an Xavier biopic… if we were able to make that ‘Hall & Oates’ movie where it’s behind the scenes of Xavier and Channing Tatum playing those characters… I’m here for it,” says Franco. “If Lord and Miller want to do it, count me in.”
