Once more, the actress embraced Estere, Madonna’s daughter, subsequent to her participation in judging the ballroom segment of the Brooklyn performance.
Girl, Julia Garner is undeniably star material. This week, the Inventing Anna and Ozark actress, who EW can confirm was formally cast as Madonna in the superstar’s delayed, self-directed biopic, performed alongside the pop icon on her Celebration Tour.
Thursday night at the Barclays Center arena in Brooklyn, Madonna invited the 29-year-old actress onto the stage. The two co-judged the instantly iconic ballroom segment of the legendary singer-songwriter’s tour, during which she frequently invites special guests to sit next to her in each city she visits.
Garner, clad in a transparent black top featuring a white collar that was inspired by Madonna’s “Erotica” music video, descended the runway to join Madonna at the end of the platform subsequent to Bob the Drag Queen’s placement of a set of chairs on the stage. The two individuals engaged in light choreography before directing their focus towards the voguing performers in front of them, which included Estere, the daughter of Madonna, who was even embraced by Garner.
“Julia, you have been an exceptional judge,” Madonna exclaimed as she embraced Garner prior to her departure from the stage.
Garner was initially cast to portray Madonna in the long-awaited biopic about her life, according to a source who spoke to EW. However, in January, the Universal-backed project was shelved so that Madonna could concentrate on preparing for the Celebration world tour.
Prior to that, EW also confirmed that actress Julia Fox had a meeting with Madonna to discuss the possibility of her portraying Debi Mazar, a longstanding friend of the “Like a Prayer” singer, in the film. Diablo Cody, an Oscar-winning screenwriter, collaborated with Madonna on an early draft of the film’s script. However, she subsequently withdrew from the project after completing her draft, and Erin Wilson joined Madonna in order to develop the plot.
Prior statements by Madonna indicated that the film would chronicle her “adversity as a female artist attempting to survive in a male-dominated society.” She described her rise to prominence and success as a “happy, sad, mad, crazy, good, bad, and ugly” account.
Throughout 2020, she and Cody frequently documented their progress on social media, divulging intimate information such as Madonna’s New York City lifestyle, the composition of “Like a Prayer,” the production of Evita, and her association with Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza and Luis Xtravaganza, two figures from the Harlem ballroom scene who influenced and bolstered the success of Madonna’s 1990 hit “Vogue.”
The video above shows Garner joining Madonna onstage during her Celebration Tour.
