The actress hugged Madonna‘s daughter Estere after joining Madge to judge the ballroom portion of her Brooklyn show.
Julia Garner is clearly star material, girl. The Inventing Anna and Ozark actress — who was officially cast as Madonna in the superstar’s delayed, self-directed biopic, EW can confirm — joined the pop icon for a performance for her Celebration Tour this week.
Madonna brought the 29-year-old actress on stage Thursday night at the Barclays Center arena in Brooklyn, where the pair co-judged Madonna’s instantly iconic ballroom portion of the concert, in which the legendary singer-songwriter often welcomes special guests in each city she visits to sit next to her.
After RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Bob the Drag Queen placed a set of chairs on the stage, Garner — clad in a sheer black top with a white collar inspired by Madonna’s “Erotica” music video — walked down the runway to join Madonna at the end of the platform. Together, the pair did light choreography before turning their attention to the performers voguing in front of them — including Madonna’s daughter Estere, who even got a hug from Garner.
“Julia, you’ve been a wonderful judge,” Madonna said, hugging Garner before she left the stage.
Kevin Mazur/WireImage; Daniele Venturelli/WireImage
Madonna; Julia Garner, star of her biopic
A source confirmed to EW that Garner was initially cast to play Madonna in the long-gestating biopic about her life, though the Universal-backed project was put on hold in January so Madonna could focus on preparing for the Celebration world tour.
Before that, however, EW also confirmed that actress Julia Fox had met with Madonna to discuss potentially playing the “Like a Prayer” singer’s longtime friend, Debi Mazar, in the film. Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody also worked with Madonna on an early version of its script, though she later left the project after she finished her draft, and writer Erin Wilson joined to expand on the story with Madonna.
According to earlier comments from Madonna, the movie was set to detail her “struggle as an artist trying to survive in a man’s world as a woman.” She labeled the story a “happy, sad, mad, crazy, good, bad, and ugly” tale of her rise to fame and success.
While working throughout 2020, she and Cody often shared their process on social media, revealing story details that, at the time, included capturing Madonna’s life in New York City, the writing of “Like a Prayer,” the filming of Evita, and her friendship with Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza and Luis Xtravaganza of the Harlem ballroom scene, which inspired and contributed to the success of Madonna’s 1990 smash “Vogue.”
Watch Garner join Madonna on stage for her Celebration Tour in the video above.
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Laura Davis is an entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to Broadway, she offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
