Justin Hawkins Turns To Acting

Seeing Justin Hawkins perform in tight Spandex catsuits with The Darkness struck fear in the hearts of a lot of bad glam metal fans, but at least they'll be prepared for his next artistic venture: appearing in a horror movie.

Hawkins has landed a role in a psychological thriller titled Vivid, which was written and will be directed by Reg Traviss. Traviss also wrote and directed 2006's Joy Division, which had nothing to do with the band. That might explain why it didn't get a theatrical or DVD release in North America.

Former San Diego Chargers cheerleader-turned-Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel thespian Charisma Carpenter (who I'd like to see in a tight Spandex catsuit) stars in Vivid. She plays a New York City novelist who moves to a manor in the British countryside, where she's rejected by the locals and haunted by visions of a massacre that happened there. Hawkins' role in the film hasn't yet been revealed, but perhaps there's a place for a cocaine-hooked, penis-pierced, high-voiced singer in Carpenter's nightmarish visions.

Vivid has a $1.2 million U.S. ($1.5 million Canadian) budget and will start filming in London and Somerset, England in the next few months.

Hawkins has a synth-pop alter-ego called British Whale whose cover of Sparks' "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us" hit #6 on the U.K. singles chart in 2005. He left The Darkness in October 2006 after going to rehab to battle his drug and booze addictions.

Hawkins, who turns 34 on St. Patrick's Day, previewed songs from what was thought to be a solo album along with tracks from his Magnet Watch side project on MySpace in April 2007.

Hawkins formed a band called Hot Leg last year. Their Red Light Fever debut is scheduled to be released next month by Barbecue Rock Records, which may or may not eclipse the fleeting fame they gained for being involved in breaking the world record for the most people simultaneously playing air guitar in November.

Some of Hawkins' former bandmates from The Darkness formed Stone Gods and released their Silver Spoons & Broken Bones debut last July.