Steve Granitz / Getty Images; Kristian Dowling/Getty ImagesVera Farmiga may very soon go from rolling around with George Clooney in Up In the Air to being told what to do by Madonna.
Fermiga says she's hoping to star in a period romance that the Queen of Pop is not only producing and cowriting, but also directing…
The real-life drama centers on England's King Edward VIII's decision in 1936 to abdicate the thrown so he could marry twice-divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. Fermiga would play Simpson. No male stars are attached yet, but Abbie Cornish has reportedly signed on for a role.
"She approached me," Fermiga said of Madonna. "We sat for a cup of tea and again for a cup of tea. Hopefully, it will all come together."
Fermiga is putting a lot of faith in Ms. Ciccone—she hasn't seen anything she's directed. "I'm actually not familiar with her work and I told her this flat out," Fermiga admitted. "She sent a couple of films and I still haven't seen them."
But no matter. "I don't really go by that," Fermiga said. "I go by other things. I go by scripts. I go with what I think I can do with a character and if I feel a kinetic energy with someone and I feel we can uplift and challenge each other."
And don't bother telling Fermiga if Madonna's only feature film directing work, 2008 flick called Filth and Wisdom, didn't exactly win audiences or critics over. Fermiga said, "I certainly have things I wouldn't want people to see."