‘I had to learn how to dance’

Julia Garner hasn’t given up her shot at portraying Madonna, and according to her, the long-awaited biopic is still on the table.

While speaking on Monday’s episode of the ‘SmartLess’ podcast with hosts Will Arnett, Sean Hayes, and her ‘Ozark’ co-star Jason Bateman, the Emmy-winning actress confirmed that the Universal Pictures biopic centered on the Queen of Pop will be made.

“Yeah, I mean, that’s supposed to still happen,” Garner responded when Hayes asked if the project was moving forward. The film, first reported in development back in 2020, was put on hold by Universal in 2023, the same year Madonna launched her ‘Celebration’ world tour. 

Garner had already landed the lead role by 2022 after a demanding audition process. The pop icon herself was set to direct and co-wrote the script with Diablo Cody and Erin Cressida Wilson. While the feature film remains shelved, Madonna has since pivoted toward television, working with Netflix and producer Shawn Levy on a separate limited series about her life. 

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This new project is entirely independent of the Universal biopic. Levy, known for ‘Stranger Things,’ ‘The Perfect Couple,’ and ‘All the Light We Cannot See,’ is currently developing the show.

Garner, who’s currently starring in ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps,’ opened up about how she landed the role. She described the audition as a personal challenge.

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“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,” Garner said. “And sing. And sing with her!” She admitted to going into the audition with a strategy.

“What would Madonna do?” she asked herself. “[She would] convince you that she deserves, you know, to be in this room, and I owned it,” she said. “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.’”

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That confident mindset helped her stand out in what was widely reported as an intense audition process. Other contenders for the role included Euphoria’s Alexa Demie, Florence Pugh, and Anne Winters, who went through dance boot camps and long rehearsals to compete for the part.

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Garner emphasized that despite the delays, the passion behind the project remains: “Anything that’s great … takes a long time.” The actress also shared that she “grew up listening to Madonna” and was drawn to the role not just because of her admiration for the pop star, but also to prove something to herself.