Rosanna Arquette on reuniting with Madonna for a ‘Desperately Seeking Susan’ sequel after being “bummed” she was cast in the ’80s film

Madonna and I were super close during that film [Desperately Seeking Susan]. We really bonded heavily and had a deep female friendship at the time … for many years. Then she married Sean [Penn], I was at the wedding and all that stuff. We lost touch in these years, except I was at the [Celebration Tour] show in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see her and was really bummed.

When we made that film she of course was exploding. Melanie Griffith was up for it [Madonna’s role], who was one of my best friends. Ellen Barkin, another one of my best friends, was up for that role and they were talking about this pop star that wasn’t an actor and I was kind of bummed out about it at first. And then I saw the “Lucky Star” video. She was so enigmatic and gorgeous and I had to throw myself into being obsessed with Madonna like everybody else in the world was while we were making the movie. 

I always had a fantasy, because you see them doing sequels all the time, about what happened to them? Who are they now? It would be so great to make that movie. And where did everybody go? Do Dez [Aidan Quinn’s character] and her stay together? What happens to them?

The original ending, which is not in the film, they [Arquette and Madonna’s characters] are not with the guys. They are off on an adventure together on a camel in the desert and we filmed that … and it wasn’t happily ever after with the guys. It was a great ending and I was really bummed they didn’t choose that.

Rosanna Arquette talking to the ‘Girls on Film’ podcast about working with Madonna in the 1985 film ‘Desperately Seeking Susan’ and her hopes for a sequel.