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Madonna Returns to Acting in The Studio Season 2

Published 19 March 2026

Madonna has returned to live-action acting after more than two decades, joining the cast of the Apple TV+ comedy series The Studio for its second season currently filming in Venice, Italy.

The 67-year-old pop icon was spotted on location alongside series stars Seth Rogen, Kathryn Hahn, Ike Barinholtz, Chase Sui Wonders and Bryan Cranston. Production sources confirmed her involvement, marking her first scripted live-action role since 2002's Swept Away, directed by Guy Ritchie. Madonna teased the project on Instagram, posting a photo of herself reading a script aboard a gondola on one of Venice's canals, captioned "The Italian Job." She appeared dressed in black and wearing a wide-brimmed hat during filming, arriving at the set via the waterway.

The Studio, co-created by Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck and Alex Gregory, satirizes the inner workings of a Hollywood film studio. Rogen stars as Matt Remick, a film executive thrust into the role of studio president amid corporate pressures and creative chaos. The ensemble cast also features the late Catherine O'Hara in a recurring role as Patty Leigh, a mentor figure to Remick. Season one, which premiered to critical acclaim and...

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