Liza Minnelli wants nothing to do with Renée Zellweger or the Judy Garland biopic
There is one person who won’t be rushing to see the upcoming biopic on Judy Garland: the screen icon’s daughter, Liza Minnelli.
Minnelli, 72, slammed a report that she has embraced the film and its star, Renée Zellweger. “I have never met nor spoken to Renée Zellweger… I don’t know how these stories get started, but I do not approve nor sanction the upcoming film about Judy Garland in any way,” she wrote on Facebook. “Any reports to the contrary are 100% Fiction.”
The post accompanied a link to a Radar Online article titled “Renée Zellweger Bonds With Liza Minnelli While Playing Mom Judy Garland in Biopic.” The story has since been deleted from the website.
Judy is set in in 1968 and follows Garland — portrayed by Zellweger — as she plays a string of sold-out shows in London right before her death. According to Variety, the film depicts Garland’s “behind-the-scenes battles with management, relationships with musicians and fans, and the unfolding family drama that provided the backdrop to the London performances.” Garland died in London in June 1969 of an accidental barbiturate overdose shortly after her 47th birthday.
Principal photography wrapped last month, and the film was recently acquired by LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions.
Zellweger told the Hollywood Reporter how much she enjoyed doing research for the role. “There’s so much material out there,” the 49-year-old actress explained. One of her favorite moments was finding a clip of Garland performing with Mickey Rooney on The Judy Garland Show. “She’s so comfortable,” Zellweger admired. “You could see she’s being herself. She was so funny and cool.”
When asked in December whether she had contacted Minnelli yet, Zellweger replied: “I think I might have to do that — thanks for the idea. It sounds like a good excuse to make a phone call.”
If that call was made, it sounds like Minnelli probably didn’t answer it.
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