Julia Garner On Scrapped Madonna Biopic: “She’s Going On Tour. What I Know is What You Know” | Exclusive
The actress reveals there is no new news about the project
Oh, showbiz. It’s a fickle industry, certainly not for the faint of heart and many actors have had their fair share of heartache, highs and lows, and dream roles scrapped on their quest to legendary stardom.
Last year, news broke that a Madonna biopic (or “visual autobiography,” in her words) was in the works – with the award-winning performer herself in the director’s chair. In an interview with Jimmy Fallon in 2021, she revealed that production houses had wanted to produce films about her life (“mostly man” she said), but conveyed that she was getting frustrated at what she was seeing – namely the scripts.
“I read Universal was doing a script,” she tells Jimmy. “They wanted my blessing.I read it. It was the most hideous, superficial crap I’ve ever read… This [has] happened a couple of times. So, finally, I just threw down the gauntlet.”
“There is nobody on this planet that can write, or direct or make a movie about me, better than me,” she said. “That is just the truth.”
Speculation as to who play the role of Madonna began shortly after…
It was rumoured that Euphoria’s Alexa Demie, Florence Pugh, and Odessa Young were all considered for the role, as they participated in a grueling “Madonna Bootcamp” throughout the casting process, reportedly training for up to eight hours a day alongside the Material Girl singer. Julia Garner reportedly won her over. Late summer, sources revealed to Variety Magazine that the Ozark and Inventing Anna star had nabbed the role, having clearly left an impression on Madonna.
And then just like that the project was scrapped. It became unclear whether or not the biopic would ever go ahead… and even Julia didn’t have any answers.
When asked how she felt about not stepping into the role this year, Julia revealed she had no information on the project – and that includes whether or not there’s a chance it could happen in the future.
“She’s going on tour,” Julia said, referring to Madonna, in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar Arabia. “It’s so funny, to be completely honest… People ask me these questions like I know this information that no one else knows, but the reality is… what I know is what you know. So, there’s nothing… There’s no new information.”
When discussing her relationship with acting and how it’s evolved (Julia’s talked frankly about having had “dry years” in a recent interview), her answers reflect her commitment to the craft and ability to look at the highs and lows of the industry as part of the broader picture.
“Very early I’ve been really blessed to be surrounded by really interesting and respected actors. Laura Linney has also given me amazing advice early in my career. She’s said to me before at the end of the day the work speaks for itself,” she says. “You can have a slow year as an actor or any profession, but if you know what you’re capable of doing, in terms of your work, it’s going to pick back up. The universe is like so much bigger, in a way. I’m a very big believer in that there’s always a time and place for things.”
Julia has a lot going on this year. In addition to becoming the face of Gucci Guilty, the Italian fashion brand’s newest fragrance, she has two exciting projects in the pipeline: The Royal Hotel, directed by Kitty Green – the first film produced by Alma Margo, Julia’s production company – and Apartment 7A. Both films are slated to be released this year, but the exact dates have yet to be revealed.
“I’m very excited about [The Royal Hotel], because that will be the first project coming out of my production company and I love collaborating with Kitty Green,” she said, when asked about what she was most excited about for 2023.
Lead image courtesy of Getty (Image credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
