Kylie Minogue has landed a starring role in a Sky Arts TV comedy based on Andy Warhol's muse Edie Sedgwick. The Australian pop princess - who is dedicating more time to the acting side of her career - will appear in an edition of Playhouse Presents titled Hey Diddly Dee, with comic Peter Serafinowicz playing the enigmatic artist.
The drama follows a group of actors putting on a production about Warhol, with Minogue playing a Sedgwick-style character called Bibbi. "When the script was sent to me, I read it and knew instinctively I wanted to be part of this project. In Hey Diddly Dee, Marc [Warren, director] has created a beautiful and quirky story," said Kylie in a statement. Sedgwick was an artist student who joined Warhol at the infamous 'Factory' - the pop artist's studio and debauched hangout for a group of cool New York eccentrics, some of them drug addicts. She gained fame as a Warhol muse and successful fashion model, though died in 1971 at the age of 28. A coroner ruled her death as "undetermined/accident/suicide" though her death certificate stated the immediate cause was "probably acute barbiturate intoxication." She was played by British actress Sienna Miller in the 2006 movie Factory Girl, which received mixed reviews from critics, though most lauded the actress' individual performance. Film 4 said, "Sienna Miller guarantees herself a bit more than 15 minutes with a strong performance in an otherwise dazed and confused film." James Christopher of The Times said, "Miller is a genuine surprise as the damaged star. But the film leaves her very much as it finds her: a clueless naïve."
Minogue has appeared in a number of movies including Leos Carax's frankly bizarre Holy Motors, which was tipped to win the Palme d'Or in 2012, though eventually lost out to Amour. The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw gave it 5 stars, saying, "A gorgeous furry teacup of a film." Hey Diddly Dee is due to screened on Sky Arts on March 14, which will be followed by a Playhouse Presents episode written and directed by Idris Elba, and another by artist Grayson Perry.
Continue reading: Can Kylie Minogue Outdo Sienna Miller As Edie Sedgwick?