Evan Rachel Wood, who plays Madonna in an upcoming “Weird Al” Yankovic biopic, is showing fans she can deliver a superb Madonna singing impression – even though she doesn’t use it in the film.
On Thursday’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” the “Westworld” star discussed playing the iconic musician in The Roku Channel’s “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.” Despite transforming into the Madonna look for the movie, Wood didn’t get to sing as her which later disappointed director Eric Appel.
“We had a karaoke wrap party and I sang Madonna and the director goes, ‘Why didn’t I make you sing in this movie?’ ” Wood said.
That’s when Fallon handed her a microphone to show off her skills and he was floored by what he heard.
Wood not only sang an effortless rendition of Madonna’s “Material Girl,” but then performed flawless impressions of Alanis Morissette’s classic hit “You Oughta Know” and Janis Joplin’s banger “Piece of My Heart.”
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Wood, 34, has previously proven her vocal capabilities through her roles as Lucy in Oscar and Golden Globe award-nominated musical “Across the Universe” in 2007 as well as Anna and Elsa’s mother Queen Iduna in 2019’s “Frozen II.” Wood also formed a cover band alongside Zane Carney in 2018 called “Evan + Zane.”
Wood said she was shocked when she learned about the offer to play Madonna.
“You’re not expecting that on a Tuesday,” Wood joked. “And then I was like ‘oh god do I want to do this? This is like a lot of responsibility.’ But it’s in a comedy. It’s not like a Madonna biopic.”
Wood said that there would be way too much pressure to play Madonna in a leading role. She said she’s already nervous about how the musician will react to her performance as Madonna is seemingly unaware of Wood’s upcoming portrayal.
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See also: How to watch ‘Westworld’ season 4
Wood also shared insight into Season 4 of the Emmy-winning series “Westworld” saying that she will be an entirely different character. After playing the robotic Dolores Abernathy, Wood will now take on the role of Christina, a nerdy writer and video game programmer who is “much more human.”
“You never really know if you’re dead on ‘Westworld’ because clearly they can just bring you right back as someone else,” Wood said.
The new season of “Westworld” premieres June 26 on HBO Max. There is not yet a release date for “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.”
In March, Wood shared harrowing accounts of her relationship with ex-fiancé Brian Warner (aka Marilyn Manson) in the documentary “Phoenix Rising,” claiming that Manson made her drink his blood, hit her with a swastika-adorned Nazi whip and shocked her private parts.
The Emmy-nominated actress withheld her alleged abuser’s name for years but identified Manson, who denied the claims, in an Instagram post in February 2021. Multiple women have since accused the singer of physical and sexual abuse, and he has been hit with several lawsuits.
Manson has since sued Wood in Los Angeles Superior Court, citing defamation, emotional distress and “impersonation over the internet.”
Filmmakers for “Phoenix Rising” contacted Manson but he did not respond to specific allegations. Instead, the film includes a statement from his lawyers, which says the musician “vehemently denies any and all claims of sexual assault or abuse of anyone.”
Contributing: David Oliver
