Julia Garner is holding on to her role as the Queen of Pop. The Weapons star has reaffirmed that she will play Madonna in the long-awaited biopic, despite delays and earlier reports that the project had been scrapped.
“I can’t say too much about it, but yes, it’s a work in progress,” Garner told W Magazine.
The actor also opened up about her admiration for Madonna’s music. “I love ‘Borderline’; that’s probably my favourite. I also love ‘Papa Don’t Preach’. I love ‘Burning Up’. I love Confessions on a Dance Floor. I grew up with that album. Obviously ‘Vogue’ and ‘Ray of Light’,” she said, before adding with a laugh, “I love all of Madonna, basically, is what I’m trying to say. But definitely, I think ‘Borderline’ and ‘Papa Don’t Preach’ are probably my two favourite Madonna songs. And I just love Madonna’s voice on ‘Papa Don’t Preach’. There are a lot of emotions in that song, and I love that.”
Garner has previously spoken about the intense audition process she went through to land the part. Appearing on the SmartLess podcast last month, she revealed, “I kind of just wanted to see if I could do it, because I wasn’t a trained dancer, and I had to learn how to dance and then dance in front of her and convince her that I can dance, basically, and sing. And sing with her!”
Recalling how she prepared, Garner explained, “OK, what would Madonna do? Which convinces you that she deserves, you know, to be in this room, and I own it. I was kind of like, ‘You can take it or leave it, but if you leave it, if I leave, then that’s on you.’”
The project has had a turbulent path. Initially announced at Universal with Madonna set to direct and co-write alongside Diablo Cody and Erin Cressida Wilson, the film was shelved in January 2023. However, the singer confirmed in July 2024 that she had resumed work on the script. Earlier this year, Deadline also reported that Madonna is collaborating with Shawn Levy on a Netflix series about her life.
