Madonna shrugs off the boos to enjoy premiere of W.E... even if her friends didn't turn out in support
By Simon Neville
As an international superstar, it is probably not the sort of response she is used to.
But Madonna managed to shrug off boos on the red carpet in London last night – and was all smiles at the premiere of W.E., the film she has directed.
Wearing a long, flowing black L’Wren Scott dress with a plunging neckline and a diamanté pattern, she also did not seem to care that the film has been widely panned.
Singer-turned-director: Madonna attends the W.E. premiere at the 55th BFI London Film Festival in Leicester Square
Simple, yet stylish: Madonna wore a black dress with a leaf design snaked across
Ironically, the 53-year-old declared: ‘It doesn’t matter what the critics think, it’s what the public thinks.’ But many fans who had waited hours on the red carpet were left disappointed when she spoke to just a handful.
As she entered the cinema in Leicester Square, the chorus of boos rang out.
However, Madonna, revealed she loved directing and would want to do so again.
And she hinted that she would like a musical of her life made, adding: ‘I’d want Andrea Riseborough to play me, because she’s incredible to work with and I’d work with her again.’
The British actress, 29, plays Wallis Simpson in W.E., part of the 55th BFI London Film Festival.
Guestlist: Claudia Winkleman and Graham Norton attended the premiere, but there was a distinct lack of Hollywood A-list elite
The film follows a two-tiered love story about Wally Winthrop, a woman in 1999 who is infatuated with the 1930s marriage of King Edward VIII.
It is Madonna's second venture as a director, with her first being in 2008, stepping behind the camera for Filth And Wisdom.
Critics were unkind to the Golden Globe-winner, giving the musical comedy poor reviews, despite British favourite Richard E Grant starring in it.
Last night, Madonna was joined by some of fashion’s biggest names including Georgio Armani and Valentino.
However, she also walked the red carpet with lesser known faces like Graham Norton and Claudia Winkleman.
The former presenter of Strictly Come Dancing spin-off show It Takes Two was in attendance as husband Kris Thykier produced the film.
Red carpet queen: Madonna looked comfortable in front of spectators as
she attended her premiere at Empire
Life in the spotlight: Queen of Pop posed without a coat despite the chilly temperatures
Guy Ritchie's ex-wife caused controversy at the Venice Film Festival press conference last month while promoting her new film.
She was overheard ridiculing a bouquet of hydrangeas a fan gave her, but later mocked herself in a YouTube video to recover from the incident.
Meanwhile, the Material Girl singer – who has a fortune of more than £400million and spends millions helping impoverished children in Africa – has been accused of neglecting her older brother.
Anthony Ciccone, 55, said she, along with the rest of their family, has left him to rely on food handouts from charities after he lost his job at a successful vineyard run by their father, Tony, in Michigan. He claims he has been homeless for the past 18 months as a result.
‘My family turned their back on me, basically, when I was having a hard time,’ he said. ‘You think I haven’t answered this kind of question a bazillion times – why my sister is a multibazillionaire, and I’m homeless on the street?’
The second of eight children, he said he had been forced to resort to extreme measures to survive. ‘I don’t have any income,’ he added. ‘I’ve got to go collect bottles and cans, do odd jobs.’ Madonna’s spokesman refused to comment.
Greeting the press: Madge posed for photographers on the red carpet,
keeping her arms behind her back
By Simon Neville
As an international superstar, it is probably not the sort of response she is used to.
But Madonna managed to shrug off boos on the red carpet in London last night – and was all smiles at the premiere of W.E., the film she has directed.
Wearing a long, flowing black L’Wren Scott dress with a plunging neckline and a diamanté pattern, she also did not seem to care that the film has been widely panned.
Singer-turned-director: Madonna attends the W.E. premiere at the 55th BFI London Film Festival in Leicester Square
Simple, yet stylish: Madonna wore a black dress with a leaf design snaked across
Ironically, the 53-year-old declared: ‘It doesn’t matter what the critics think, it’s what the public thinks.’ But many fans who had waited hours on the red carpet were left disappointed when she spoke to just a handful.
As she entered the cinema in Leicester Square, the chorus of boos rang out.
However, Madonna, revealed she loved directing and would want to do so again.
And she hinted that she would like a musical of her life made, adding: ‘I’d want Andrea Riseborough to play me, because she’s incredible to work with and I’d work with her again.’
The British actress, 29, plays Wallis Simpson in W.E., part of the 55th BFI London Film Festival.
Guestlist: Claudia Winkleman and Graham Norton attended the premiere, but there was a distinct lack of Hollywood A-list elite
The film follows a two-tiered love story about Wally Winthrop, a woman in 1999 who is infatuated with the 1930s marriage of King Edward VIII.
It is Madonna's second venture as a director, with her first being in 2008, stepping behind the camera for Filth And Wisdom.
Critics were unkind to the Golden Globe-winner, giving the musical comedy poor reviews, despite British favourite Richard E Grant starring in it.
Last night, Madonna was joined by some of fashion’s biggest names including Georgio Armani and Valentino.
However, she also walked the red carpet with lesser known faces like Graham Norton and Claudia Winkleman.
The former presenter of Strictly Come Dancing spin-off show It Takes Two was in attendance as husband Kris Thykier produced the film.
Red carpet queen: Madonna looked comfortable in front of spectators as
she attended her premiere at Empire
Life in the spotlight: Queen of Pop posed without a coat despite the chilly temperatures
She was overheard ridiculing a bouquet of hydrangeas a fan gave her, but later mocked herself in a YouTube video to recover from the incident.
Meanwhile, the Material Girl singer – who has a fortune of more than £400million and spends millions helping impoverished children in Africa – has been accused of neglecting her older brother.
Anthony Ciccone, 55, said she, along with the rest of their family, has left him to rely on food handouts from charities after he lost his job at a successful vineyard run by their father, Tony, in Michigan. He claims he has been homeless for the past 18 months as a result.
‘My family turned their back on me, basically, when I was having a hard time,’ he said. ‘You think I haven’t answered this kind of question a bazillion times – why my sister is a multibazillionaire, and I’m homeless on the street?’
The second of eight children, he said he had been forced to resort to extreme measures to survive. ‘I don’t have any income,’ he added. ‘I’ve got to go collect bottles and cans, do odd jobs.’ Madonna’s spokesman refused to comment.
Greeting the press: Madge posed for photographers on the red carpet,
keeping her arms behind her back