OF JUDY FOR THE LOVE
Meet them an playing the legendary star’ s last love
She played one of Hollywood’s most iconic and wholesome characters in The Wizard of Oz, but Judy Garland’s own life famously lacked Dorothy’s happy ending.
In the new biopic Judy, Renée Zellweger steps into the actress’ shoes, circa 1969. Finn Wittrock play’s Judy’s fifth husband Mickey Deans and talks to Woman’s Day about the hotly anticipated film.
What was your reaction when you saw Renée in her Judy make-up?
It was surprising! I rarely saw Renée out of her Judy costume. Then when I’d see her with blonde hair and cut-up jeans, I’d forget that I’d known her at all. She’d done so much work beforehand that it felt like she stepped into it very effortlessly, as opposed to putting on a huge, crazy physicality or something that seemed alien to her. It seemed like it was coming out of her very organically. As an actor, it was really inspiring to watch.
You’ ve done biopics before, including Unbroken. How is this one different?
It mostly focuses on one chapter of her life, so it’s not typical. It does flash back a little bit, but it’s more of a psychological portrait of where Judy was at the end. I think you can get a lot more depth that way.
Tell us a bit about Mickey Deans ...
He ran a nightclub in New York City. He met Judy and they had a fiery love affair for a moment, then got married very quickly. Some people speculated that he was kind of in it for other reasons, for his own selfish ends, but I think he was truly devoted to her. He wrote a biography of her called Weep No More, My Lady and in it you can tell he was just head over heels for her.
What did Renée capture best in her portrayal of Judy?
Her wit – and, at the same time, her deep, deep sadness. That’s very rare to see in a modern performer.