Madonna Faced Death Threats Over Her Role as Eva Perón in 'Evita'
Thirty years ago this week, the pop star faced intense backlash from fans of Argentine President Juan Perón's wife over her portrayal of Eva Perón in the film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Tony-awarding musical.
Despite the controversy, Madonna tried to understand Eva Perón and what she meant to the Argentine people. The singer met with "septuagenarian Perónists" who'd worked with the former first lady and asked them a battery of questions: "Did she eat chocolates?" the paper reported.
To counteract the negative sentiment, a contingent of Madonna's Argentine fans organized a protest in support of the star. A fan named Sandra Matos was quoted by the Associated Press as saying, “I think she is the best actress, and she’s got the right to make it, and nobody has the right to threaten her life or say that they are going to burn her alive... If that lady is a Perónist and does what Evita would have done, then she should love her neighbors, and follow the example of a good woman instead of threatening Madonna.”
The film ultimately received mixed reviews from critics and audiences in Argentina but enjoyed massive success worldwide. Despite facing opposition from fans of Eva Perón's husband, Madonna won an Oscar for "You Must Love Me" along with a Best Actress award at the Golden Globes.
Thirty years ago this week, the pop star faced intense backlash from fans of Argentine President Juan Perón's wife over her portrayal of Eva Perón in the film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Tony-awarding musical.
Despite the controversy, Madonna tried to understand Eva Perón and what she meant to the Argentine people. The singer met with "septuagenarian Perónists" who'd worked with the former first lady and asked them a battery of questions: "Did she eat chocolates?" the paper reported.
To counteract the negative sentiment, a contingent of Madonna's Argentine fans organized a protest in support of the star. A fan named Sandra Matos was quoted by the Associated Press as saying, “I think she is the best actress, and she’s got the right to make it, and nobody has the right to threaten her life or say that they are going to burn her alive... If that lady is a Perónist and does what Evita would have done, then she should love her neighbors, and follow the example of a good woman instead of threatening Madonna.”
The film ultimately received mixed reviews from critics and audiences in Argentina but enjoyed massive success worldwide. Despite facing opposition from fans of Eva Perón's husband, Madonna won an Oscar for "You Must Love Me" along with a Best Actress award at the Golden Globes.
30 yrs ago this week, Madonna got slammed by Eva Perón fans over her role in 'Evita'. Like, what's wrong with expressing yourself thru art? She met with septuagenarian Peronists to get a feel for Eva's life and asked questions like "did she eat chocolates?" 
Guess it wasn't enough to calm the storm. Meanwhile, some fans stood up for her, saying threats are never cool. I think Madonna handled the situation pretty well, considering all the backlash. The film rec'd mixed reviews in Argentina but was a global hit. Madonna won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for 'You Must Love Me', which is impressive. Maybe we should appreciate art that makes us uncomfortable? 
. Fan protest organized by her supporters stood up to haters 
. Not sure what's more iconic, Madame X or Evita? 
Either way, iconic performances deserve love & respect 
... she even met with septuagenarian peronists who worked with eva herself! that's some deep research, fam 
. but, i feel for madonna, it's crazy how intense fans can get when they're passionate about something (or someone). anyway, the film may have gotten mixed reviews in argentina, but globally, it was a huge hit & she won those iconic oscars 
i mean, i can see why some people might be upset about Madonna playing eva perón, but death threats? that's just ridiculous 
. i think it's kinda cool that the fans who didn't agree with her portrayal organized a protest in support of her... even if they didn't love the movie itself 
. but let's be real, it's not like she was trying to offend anyone on purpose 
. i guess what i'm saying is... if you don't like the movie, just watch something else 
.
. I mean, I get it, Eva Perón was a complex figure and all that, but do we really need to threaten Madonna's life over a movie role? Like, what even happened to civility back in the day? 
. But honestly, I think it's pretty cool that her fans banded together to show support - it just goes to show that not everyone shares the same opinions about Eva Perón. And let's be real, Madonna tried really hard to understand the role and get things right... she even met with people who knew Eva personally! 
u should to tho, like if they cant even do that then what can they say about eva peron's legacy 
. I mean, it's like some people were so invested in their image of Eva Perón that they couldn't handle Madonna bringing her to life on screen. And yeah, the fact that death threats were made over it is just wild 
. And can we talk about how iconic "You Must Love Me" is? Still gives me chills every time 
.
its crazy to think about how much backlash madonna faced 30 yrs ago over her role as eva peron in 'evita' lol who would have thought that her portrayal of the argentine first lady would spark so much controversy among fans 
its all good in the end tho because madonna still slayed her role in 'evita' and won several awards for it 
30 years ago, I'm pretty sure my grandma wouldn't have stood up to anyone threatening her life over a movie role 
and I'm still thinking about it. So, I was driving and saw this beach town that looked like something out of a movie. I mean, who needs a script when you've got nature, right? But what really caught my attention was this tiny cafe that served the most incredible empanadas 
. Like, I know it sounds weird, but they were literally the best thing I've ever tasted.
... like that one time I tried making Argentine empanadas and they turned out amazing!!! 
... I wonder what it'd be like to play a role in a musical and have people hate you because of it? 
on the bright side, her fans were super supportive and organized that protest, maybe we can learn from that 
. That's pretty intense! Anyway, did you know that the film 'Evita' grossed $60 million in Argentina but only made $30 million from its initial run? 
Meanwhile, worldwide it raked in $75 million. Not bad for a movie that sparked controversy 
. Also, fun fact: Madonna's song "You Must Love More" was not even included in the film... weird! 
