Madonna Interview For ‘W.E.’

Directed and co-written by Madonna, ‘W.E.’ looks at the fabled romance between American Wallis Simpson and Britain’s King Edward VIII, who famously gave up the throne to marry the woman he loved. More than six decades later, their story enthralls a young woman named Wally Winthrop. The cast of the film features the likes of Abbie Cornish, Andrea Riseborough, James D’Arcy and Oscar Isaac. ‘W.E.’ is set for release in cinemas December 9th. Check out what Madonna had to say about the film below.

This is an idea you had before you directed ‘Filth and Wisdom,’ but its been marinating for a little while. Is there a reason why it took some time to come to fruition?

Madonna: Well, this film is a much more complicated story – two different eras, to different time periods. It’s much more complex. I felt like I needed to tackle something much simpler, and really understand the technical aspects of filmmaking before I took it underhand.

Where did the idea of the duality of the storylines come from?

Madonna: I was always fascinated with the story of Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII’s decision to abdicate the throne for the women he loved. I wanted to investigate that story and his reasons, and try to understand what it was about this woman that would lead this man to make such a big sacrifice. I was never interested in making a straight-forward biopic, so I created the modern-day story and the modern-day character of Wally Winthrop, so that I could have a point of view in which to tell this story. Because I think in the end truth is subjective, and we can all read the same history book and have a different point of view and get something different from it. So it was important for me to not present the story and say this is the one and only story, but rather this is the story that moved me and inspired me.

What was it about Wallis Simpson that you found interesting, her portrayal is almost sympathetic?

Madonna: She was and is a very provocative character in the history of world politics, in the world of fashion, in the decision that King Edward VIII made to leave the throne. I don‘t think it was ever done before. It changed the British empire, it changed things enormously. And she is a mysterious, enigmatic creature – not conventionally beautiful, not young, twice divorced, there’s not anything fabulous about her background,. Yet somehow she managed to capture the heart of the man who, at the time, held the most important position in the world. That story intrigued me immensely, I wanted to understand it.

But also what I was interested in was the idea or the concept of the cult of celebrity, which we are all consumed with, now and then. The idea is that there are so many rumours that are now believed to be true about Wallis Simpson, and when I investigated her story, there were so many of them, that I could find no empirical evidence stating that they were true. I realized that we have always – since the time of Christ or Cleopatra, or you can go back through history and name any iconic or historical figure, it’s like Chinese whispers, it starts off as one story and by the time it gets to us, it’s something different and we believe it to be true. We often reduce our historical figures, or our iconic figures, to a sound-bite. And it’s tremendously unfair, we forget that they are human beings. So what was important to me was to portray Wallis Simpson as a human being, with flaws, imperfections and a human side, a vulnerable side.

What was your cinematic approach to this film? Were there movies in particular that inspired you?

Madonna: First of all it was important to me to underline and express the world of luxury that these characters came from – the Royal Family, the world that Wallis Simpson lived in. She was very much a presentational character that cared deeply about the rooms that she was in, the lighting, the flowers, her dress. And then of course Wally’s character, she lives on Park Avenue, she also lived in a world of good taste, refinement and luxury. So I wanted to express that in the film. Also the Sotheby’s auction aspect of the film was very much about objects, and objects being used as a device to go back and forth in time, objects that had a a very tactile sensibility about them, so you needed to see that shiny gleamingness of the martini shaker, or the pillbox, or the linen, the tactile quality of touching a linen tablecloth. So it was important to pick up on those details and nuances.

A lot of the movies that I referenced or that inspired me were movies where there was a lot of tracking shots or Steadicam, I like a lot of movement with cameras, not locked-on shots. I like the magic that is created, I like the lyricism and the dance that the movie becomes with the camera moving and following – it’s like a living breathing creature that has to be choreographed. And I equate a dolly tracking shot and a woman walking down the street as something extremely feminine and mysterious. That was some of the millions of ideas that I had.

Did you have any daily directorial ritual?

Madonna: One of my rituals, one of the most important rituals for me was to help finish dressing the actors or the actresses. I loved putting the finishing touches on them, and feeling a connection with them before we began the day of shooting. So putting on their necklaces and their bracelets, fine-tuning their hair and clothes and kind of finding an excuse to touch them, basically, was my ritual (laughs).