Don’t expect Liza Minnelli to be seeing Renee Zellweger’s Oscar-nominated portrayal of Judy Garland in “Judy.”
In an interview with Variety, the 73-year-old entertainer expressed that she has no interest in seeing the biopic, which is based on the last year of her mother’s life.
“I hope [Zellweger] had a good time making it,” Minnelli said of the actress.
The “Cabaret” star has previously spoken out against “Judy.” Back in 2018, after it was reported that Minnelli had spent time with Zellweger while the actress was preparing for the role of Garland, Minnelli took to Facebook to set the record straight.
“I have never met nor spoken to Renée Zellweger,” Minnelli wrote at the time. “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. Any reports to the contrary are 100% fiction.”
However, a little over a year later, Zellweger told the Los Angeles Times she had attempted to contact Minnelli through a mutual friend, but nothing came of it. The actress also expressed that she felt conflicted about speaking to Garland’s other children.
“I wanted to reach out not to ask questions, except to maybe ask what they would like or hope to see,” Zellweger told the publication in August. “I figured that whatever was for public consumption, they had already shared at this point. I could find that. I wouldn’t dream of calling and asking, ‘Hey, what else can you share here? Because that’d be so helpful.’ To me, what they haven’t shared is treasure and that belongs to them and that’s where it should stay.”
Like Minnelli, Garland’s other daughter, Lorna Luft, 67, revealed she wouldn’t be seeing “Judy” either, saying she’s “really protective” of Garland’s “legacy” and “legendary career.”
“I feel that if you really want to know about my mom, go see her movies, go listen to her recordings and go watch her television shows, and that’s how you’ll know about her,” she told “Great Britain Today,” per Newsweek in September. Luft was also diagnosed with a brain tumor shortly before filming on “Judy” began.
Meanwhile, Zellweger has swept awards season for her portrayal of Garland, winning the Golden Globe, BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild award. The 50-year-old actress is also predicted to take home the Oscar this Sunday.
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