Adaptation of celebrities’ lives that take certain... let’s say “creative liberties” are really having a moment right now. But while films like Blonde and 2021's Spencer take themselves incredibly seriously (largely to their detriment), the genre’s weirdest new entry could not stray further from seriousness if it tried.
We are, of course, talking about Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, the parody master’s upcoming parody of celebrity biopics that also parodies the events of his own life. You know, the one based on a Funny Or Die sketch from 2010? That’s the tone we’re dealing with here.
So, of course, Evan Rachel Wood’s version of Madonna—who plays the role of Al’s fame-hungry, morally corrupting girlfriend—is also “on a lot of cocaine” in this universe. Why not!
This comes from a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, in which Wood and co-star Daniel Radcliffe (who plays Weird Al) discussed some of their more out-there character choices. “You would play the real person and then you would heighten it in this crazy way,” explained Wood.
Just how far did the Westworld actor take this directive? She went on:
[Madonna]’s very conniving and completely just using Weird Al, and everything she does is a pathological lie to get ahead in her career. So it was basically taking the genius that is Madonna and turning her into a sociopath that ends up running a drug cartel. It has to be a little bit ridiculous. She has to slowly start flying off the tracks in the end.
This sounds less “a little bit ridiculous” and more “full-on Walter White transformation” to us, but hey–in a film like this we’re game for anything. As was Wood, according to her co-star, who celebrated the actor’s ability to commit to the bit:
“We shot a few days moving incredibly fast and then Evan came in and the relief of seeing her and knowing ‘Oh she’s f—ing game for it,’ committing a thousand percent, hitting the ground running. She’s not bothered by how quick it was moving, how it was just a few takes. You just really got the tone and pace of the film, and it was very exciting,” Radcliffe said.
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story will be available to stream on Roku Friday, November 4.