Casting Madonna: Actress who would rock the role as the iconic singer

Recent news of an upcoming Madonna biopic sent the singer’s die-hard fans over the borderline with excitement, while the Material Girl herself was less enthused. As soon as The Hollywood Reporter published a story about the “Blond Ambition” (which focuses on Madonna’s rise during the 1980s), Madge began decrying the project on social media.
She says she should be the one to tell her story, apparently unmoved by the fact that unauthorized scripts (see: The Queen, The Social Network, Foxcatcher) have resulted in some of the greatest movies in recent memory.
Should Madonna have a change of heart or green-light her own project, here are some actresses that could get into the groove like the pop icon. -- Courtney Shea

Lady Gaga
Turns out that under all the stage makeup and meat dresses, she’s just a regular gal as seen in recent pictures from the set of A Star Is Born. The fact that Gaga is going by her actual name (Stefani Germanotta) for her upcoming film suggests acting is more than just a passing flirtation. That fact that she’s a natural brunette with a thing for peroxide makes her a natural fit for the Blonde Ambition role.
Photo: Getty Images

Emma Watson
Okay, so the leap from Hermione to Her Madgesty might seem like a stretch, but consider that Emma’s acting resume is more than just teenage Muggles and Disney princesses—she has played edgier women in The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Bling Ring. She shares Madonna’s strong feminist ethos, plus she has an actual English accent which means she could easily master that odd faux Brit lingo phase that Madonna has been known to embrace from time to time.
Photo: Getty Images

Cara Delevingne
For now she’s best known as a model and style icon, but there’s no question Cara is a natural ham (have you seen her Instagram?) with an actress’ love for the spotlight, and an expanding IMDB page. Earlier this month, Cara shaved her head for a role in the movie Life in a Year, proving she is pretty serious about this acting thing.
Photo: Getty Images

Kristen Stewart
Every good biopic likes to take things back to the early days and in Madonna's case, she was more of a mysterious enigma, equal parts raw talent and attitude in her younger years. Kristen's secret to success is based on a similar carefree formula, which is why she was so perfect as Joan Jett in the Runaways biopic several years back. She also did her own singing in that movie—if she can sing "Cherry Bomb" then "Holiday" should be a cinch.
Photo: Getty Images

Lindsay Lohan
Hear us out. Before the relationship drama, the prison time, the reality show (and so on), Lindsay was a supremely promising young talent bursting with potential. No doubt she could tap into her own experiences to channel Madonna’s person demons and really—don’t we all deserve another chance?
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Sarah Gadon
If you’re not familiar with her work, it may be time to watch a movie without super heroes or comic book characters for a change (though, come to think of it, she did have a part in The Amazing Spider Man 2). The Canadian star is one of those crazy-accomplished actresses who has built up a resume of critically acclaimed work, while avoiding the whole paparazzi/tabloid universe which means she can truly disappear into the characters she plays. Who’s that girl, indeed.
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