Julia Garner Recalls Dancing In Front Of Madonna While Auditioning For Upcoming Biopic: 'I Owned It'
By Fiyin Olowokandi on July 29, 2025 at 12:30 PM EDT
American actress Julia Garner has opened up about bringing her A-game to the stage when auditioning to play Madonna in her upcoming biopic.
The “Ozark” star says that despite the biopic being shelved at the moment, it’s still in the works and is not a complete write-off.
Madonna is also reportedly working on another project with Netflix to portray her life in a limited series.
Julia Garner Had To Learn How To Dance Before Auditioning To Play Madonna
Garner recently appeared on the latest episode of the “SmartLess” podcast with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett. During the discussion, she opened up about how much work she put into auditioning for the Madonna biopic.
The Primetime Emmy Award winner recalled hearing about the upcoming project and wanting to see if she could do it. She headed out to audition, but not before taking dance lessons to know how to move like the Queen of Pop.
“It just came about… like I knew that they were doing a project, making a movie about it, and then I went out to audition. I kind of just wanted to see if I could do it,” she told the hosts.
Besides preparing herself physically, Garner, who has always been a huge fan of Madonna, also put in some mental work while getting ready to wow the producers. She asked herself what the pop star would do, channeled it into her performance, and got rewarded by being cast to play the “Like a Prayer” singer.
“And I owned it. I was like, ‘You can take it or leave it, but if you leave it, if I leave, then that’s on you,’” she recalled.
News about the Madonna biopic first hit the airwaves over four years ago. However, in 2023, Universal Pictures reportedly pulled out of developing the movie, and the project was stalled.
Madonna & Garner Still Remained Close After Shelved Biopic
Despite the biopic being shelved, Madonna and Garner maintained a close relationship and were seen partying together in 2023.
The two stars were spotted at Steven Klein's birthday party, which was held in New York City. As reported by The Blast, the pair donned stylish black dresses as they posed for pictures while digging into a plate of fries.
The “Like a Virgin” singer shared the iconic picture on her Instagram story with the caption, “B-tch we’re Madonna,” referring to the stalled biopic.
Madonna’s ‘Circus Antics’ Played A Role in Her Biopic Getting Shelved
While no clear reason was provided for the sudden delay in the production of the biopic, an insider once revealed that the mother of six had a role to play in it.
Sources claimed that Universal Pictures opposed Madonna’s social media posts, which were often controversial.
“Madonna did herself no favors by acting weird on social media during this entire process," the insider said. "She signed a contract to make this film, and that should have been the signal to her to stop the circus antics, stop chasing likes, and just buckle down and get this movie into shape."
The ‘Material Girl’ Singer Once Got Honest About Scrapped Biopic
Last year, the Webby Award-winning star took to social media to reveal that Hollywood producers and agents were to blame for her scrapped biopic.
The Blast reported that she shared a carousel of pictures on Instagram and briefly spoke about naysayers who fought against the production of her biopic.
“Struggling for days in LA, listening to producers and agents tell me why I couldn't make my film,” she wrote.
Madonna revealed that she was being told to think smaller regarding the production of the biopic. Nevertheless, she maintained a positive outlook on things and maintained hope that she would get it done one way or another.
“No easy rides for me. I guess I should be grateful… It forces me to think outside the box. I did not have a normal life. I cannot make this in the normal way," she added.
Julia Garner Still In The Mix As Madonna Is Now Working On A Limited Series
Despite the obstacles, Madonna’s dream of seeing a depiction of her life on the big screen now seems close to realization.
In May 2025, Deadline reported that the global music star has now partnered with Netflix to show the world a peek into her life and music.
This time, the screenplay will take on the shape of a biographical limited series and not a feature biopic.
While nothing is set in stone, Garner, the three-time Emmy winner, is reportedly still engaged in the project and will likely play Madonna.
The limited series will be executive-produced by the pop star herself and Shawn Levy, Canadian filmmaker and founder of 21 Laps Entertainment.
