Director Rupert Goold on Judy: I was interested in balancing the legend with the human

Director Rupert Goold recently described what drew him to the project. In a statement, Goold said, “One of the things that really drew me to the script was that it was very specifically about two moments in Judy’s career: the beginning and the end, and I felt there was an opportunity there to avoid the pitfalls of the linear ‘then this happened next’ biopic. The film could become a sort of passion play about the tragic end but ultimate apotheosis of a kind of secular saint. Both an origin story but also a final redemption. I was interested in trying to reconnect with the sexy, witty, dangerous, emotionally available side of her.”

He added, “Garland is an old-fashioned Hollywood star. She is remote, as all the golden age stars are now, but I was interested in how you balance the legend with the very human and real; the mother and the myth. What felt most human was the script’s exploration of Judy’s need to find love and to find a home – after all ‘there’s no place like home’- to find normality.”

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Judy has pleased critics as most of its reviews are positive. It holds an 82 per cent rating at Rotten Tomatoes. The critical consensus reads, “Led by a deeply committed performance from Renée Zellweger, Judy captures the waning days of a beloved performer with clear-eyed compassion.”