Nicola Peltz Beckham Explains Her Surprise Cameo in ‘The Beauty’ Finale: “I Have to Make This Incredible”

[This story contains MAJOR spoilers from The Beauty season one finale, “Beautiful Betrayal.”]

The Beauty finale added another wild transformation into the mix with Nicola Peltz Beckham.

In the FX horror series that concluded its first season on Wednesday night, Beckham plays Franny Forst, the wife of Ashton Kutcher’s Byron Forst (aka The Corporation), who built a trillion-dollar empire through his superdrug known as “The Beauty.” Obtained either by injection or transmitted sexually, the drug promises to make users the most physically perfect version of themselves.

Franny was very much against the drug and what it represents. She was played by Isabella Rossellini throughout the season — that is, until Byron and Franny’s sons forcibly injected her with “The Beauty” in the finale. Byron is then shocked to see his wife transformed, with Peltz Beckham stepping into the role — and wearing a top that nods to Rossellini’s role in Death Becomes Her.

While Byron is thrilled that his wife has taken “The Beauty,” like he and their sons have, Franny expresses how upset she is. “I feel like a prisoner trapped inside a body that is not mine,” she tells her husband. “Everything that I had worked for, everything that I had earned — my scars, my stretch marks, the age I owned — taken from me.” She then attempts suicide.

Later in the episode, Byron gives an update: Franny is on life support, but he has flown in the best doctors in the world to help save her, and she is “stable for now.” This appears to be a turning point for Byron, as he directs his resources toward stopping the spread of the superdrug.

The Hollywood Reporter spoke with Peltz Beckham below about how her surprise cameo came about, whether Franny can forgive her family moving forward in a possible second season — and how she has navigated the attention and headlines about her real-life husband, Brooklyn Beckham, and his family.

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This is your first collaboration with Ryan Murphy. How did The Beauty come onto your radar, and what drew you to the role of Franny?

Ryan told me that he was thinking about me for this new show, and when he explained it to me, I was so excited to be able to collaborate with him and be a part of his world. I’m such a major fan of his work and everything he does. Then when he explained the show to me, and it was Isabel Rossellini, I was just like, “Oh my goodness” and even more excited. I was so honored to be able to be a part of Franny. I was like, “I have to make this incredible.” How do I be as good as her? She’s such an icon, and I’m so obsessed with her.

Although Franny only appears in the finale, she becomes a pivotal turning point for Ashtion Kutcher’s Byron. Do you see her near-death experience as a genuine moral reckoning for him, or do you think his motives are still questionable?

I want to see the good, and I do think the thought of losing her really did affect him. That was my favorite part, when I watched that land on him. Ashton is such an amazing actor. When I got to watch the episode, that really got me.

What was it like working with Ashton in this experience, because like you mentioned, there’s so much emotional weight packed into your scene?

He is so talented. I’m such a fan of him and his work, and when I read the scene and I knew I was doing it with him, I was so excited. The scene was written so beautifully. I loved how they put it all together, and that she says, “You get to earn your age,” It’s such a beautiful perspective to not chase youth and to be so lucky to be able to earn your age. I really loved that.

Franny was very much against “The Beauty” drug and what it represents, and she’s injected without her consent by her sons. How do you imagine that will impact her relationships with her sons and with Byron?

I hope there is a future for me to be able to read, because I am so excited at the thought of Ryan continuing to create this world, and where he would take these characters. It is so complex. And it makes a lot of sense to have this show now too. Isabella Rossellini’s character is so beautiful when she says her perspective of life; it’s a really beautiful character to be a part of. I would be honored to continue to play her.

There’s been a lot of public interest in your real life and relationship with husband Brooklyn Beckham’s family. How have you navigated that attention?

I’ve been editing my next film [Prima] for the past two and a half weeks. So honestly, I’ve been in the editing room. We haven’t had weekends. We’ve just been trying to make a deadline [for Cannes]. And it’s been so amazing to just put my focus on that and be creative. It’s been really fun doing that, and I’m really excited for it to come out.

You made your directorial debut in 2024 with Lola. Do you see yourself leaning more into directing moving forward — or continuing to balance both directing and acting? 

Acting is definitely my first passion. I’ve been in love with it since I was 11, but I really love being a part of storytelling in every way, and I love being a part of the process of creating it before an actor comes on. Hopefully I’m lucky enough to be a part of that process more.

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All episodes of The Beauty are currently streaming on Hulu. Check out all of The Hollywood Reporter‘s The Beauty coverage here, including our premiere interviews with Ashton Kutcher, Bella Hadid, Rebecca Hall and finale interviews with Evan Peters, Jeremy Pope and Anthony Ramos and a full cast and characters list.