Evan Rachel Wood has teased her portrayal of Madonna in the forthcoming Roku biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, saying she turned the “genius” pop icon into a “sociopath”.
The Westworld actor stars opposite Daniel Radcliffe’s titular comedy musician and cult hero in the movie, which will follow the life and career of the five-time Grammy award-winning artist.
Ahead of the film’s 4 November release, Wood spoke to Entertainment Weekly about her parodied version of the “Like a Virgin” singer.
“She’s very conniving and completely just using Weird Al, and everything she does is a pathological lie to get ahead in her career,” Wood explained.
“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.”
She also recalled: “Eric [Appel] directed me in one scene to be Madonna on a lot of cocaine” and added that she really “had to commit” to her transformation.
During a June appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Wood revealed that Madonna hadn’t been consulted about the film, joking that she was “a little scared” about how the Queen of Pop might react.
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is scheduled to premiere on The Roku Channel on 4 November.
