25 messy facts about 'Swept Away,' the final nail in the coffin for Madonna's acting career

Jun 13, 2023

Considering her unshakeable status as a gay icon, pop queen, and trailblazing activist, some may say that Madonna can do no wrong.

But they would be incorrect. Case-and-point: Swept Away, the disastrous 2002 blockbuster that brought her big-screen acting career to a screeching halt.

If you haven't seen the film, consider yourself lucky.

Basically, spoiled socialite Amber Leighton (Madonna) embarks on a private cruise where Giuseppe (Adriano Giannini) works as a deckhand. The two despise each other, but (naturally) end up shipwrecked on a deserted island. Without any survival skills, Amber is forced to submit to Giuseppe, who's kind of hot but wants her to be his "love slave." Weird. Regardless, she falls for him, but their romance is shattered after they’re rescued and returned to the real world. There's also a highly stylized lip sync performance of "Come On-a My House" in there somewhere.

While the LGBTQ+ community can typically see past a Rotten Tomatoes score if a flick delivers high camp, histrionic performances, or a stellar soundtrack, there's a reason why Madge's loyal gays didn't even show up for this one. She didn't give us a bop for the credits… and the movie is just that bad.

We had high hopes, considering the adventure comedy allowed Madonna to work with then-husband Guy Ritchie, who was riding off the fumes of a box-office blitz after directing 2000's Snatch.

On paper, it looked like a dream collab for the two creatives: a gripping love story, a month in Malta, an opportunity for Ritchie to sink his teeth into a softer script, and most importantly, a chance for Madonna to erase The Next Best Thing from the general public's memory.

Unfortunately, any good intentions ended up shipwrecked. Swept Away made a dismal debut in theaters, and for the most part, Madonna hasn't acknowledged its existence in decades.

But hey, if Madge smoking a cig on a spin bike whilst defending capitalism, then getting slapped by an octopus (and her lover), before having sex to Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You" with a man she calls "master" –– all while wearing a bikini –– sounds like a good time to you… then you should maybe seek treatment.

While we’ll always be appreciative of her expansive discography, unwavering allyship, and hell, even Evita, we’ve got a sneaky feeling that Madonna also wishes this one ended up on the cutting room floor.

For those that have braved its 89 minute runtime (and those who are just morbidly curious), click through for 25 facts about Swept Away.

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Italian filmmaker (and Academy Award honoree) Lina Wertmüller used romance on a deserted island to make some powerful statements about class and misogyny in her 1974 film Swept Away… by an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August, which was recognized as a Top Foreign Film by the National Board of Review.

Its English-language remake, which Ritchie both wrote and directed, didn't receive quite the same fanfare.

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Swept Away was trashed by critics upon release. The trusty review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes certified the film "rotten" with a 5% rating, and called it "further proof that Madonna can't act." Ouch.

Upon release, John Anderson from Newsday wrote that, "New ways of describing badness need to be invented to describe exactly how bad it is," while The Guardian‘s Julie Burchill dubbed it the worst movie ever.

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The numbers speak for themselves. According to Box Office Mojo, the movie barely grossed $1 million worldwide on a $10 million budget and lasted in U.S. theaters for just three weekends.

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Not quite an Academy Award, but the movie scored multiple honors at the 2002 Golden Raspberry Awards… which recognizes the worst movies of the year.

In fact, Swept Away literally swept that year, taking home Worst Picture, Worst Actress, Worst Screen Couple, Worst Remake or Sequel, and Worst Sequel. The group even nominated the film for Worst Picture of the Decade in 2010, though it lost out to Battlefield Earth.

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Adriano Giannini portrays deckhand Giuseppe Espositio (or "Pee Pee," as Madge's character calls him in several cringeworthy moments), a role that runs in the family. His father, famed Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini, played the same character in the original version.

As for his experience working with Madonna? "She's as tough as a lizard and should be made into a belt, bag, and boots," he said in 2002. We think that's a compliment.

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They say you should never read reviews, but that didn't stop Guy Ritchie! While addressing a group of Oxford students in 2002, the Swept Away director spoke rather cavalierly on the film's reception.

"The idea was that the wife and I would make some sassy little art movie, but we got the sh*t kicked out of us," he said. "It broke records in America. It must be the first film to make front page news with a review." Still, he stood behind his work. "I’ve got to say, it's a good film," he said. "I’m still left shaking my head … make (up) your own minds about it."

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Never underestimate a cinephile! Before her then-husband had even heard of the Italian movie, Madonna was a fan of Swept Away. So when Ritchie saw the film nearly 20 years later, it was Madge who encouraged him to put his own spin on it.

"I said, ‘Someone's got to remake this movie,'" he told People. "I liked the edge of it. The passion. And Madonna said, ‘Why don't you remake it?’ I said, ‘Well, why don't you be in it?’ She went, ‘All right,’ and that was that."

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Italian filmmaker Lina Wertmüller, who passed in 2021, had a sequel planned for her 1974 film that never came to fruition, due in part to Swept Away‘s disastrous box office performance.

Shortly after the English remake's release, she had some not-so-nice things to say about its lackluster reception. "Why did Madonna and her husband let it out," she told a reporter. "It's very crazy. They saw the picture. So why open like that? I don't understand. They lost money. For Madonna, it's the name and the face. This is terrible for her." Spoiler alert: the Material Girl ended up just fine.

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The original film ends with the rich b*tch returning to society, comforted by her status, and abandoning her island lover completely. The 2002 version, however, finds Madonna's character irrevocably in love with Giuseppe after being rescued. Her high-society husband thwarts their efforts to reunite, ending with a melodramatic ring toss into the ocean, á la Titanic.

Guy Ritchie reportedly made the call to ditch the pessimism for a Hollywood happy ending, while Madonna wanted to retain its nuanced commentary on class and circumstance. Slant Magazine called the change a "sad compromise."

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After Swept Away bombed, Madonna stepped away from the silver screen, apart from a small voiceover role in 2006 animated film Arthur and the Invisibles.

The harsh criticism played a role in the decision, she explained in a 2006 interview. "Making movies is such an effort, and to do that over and over again, with the possibility that I am going to get the sh*t kicked out of me –– and they really enjoy doing it –– I mean, it doesn't make sense," she said. "I have sort of let it go."

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Fifteen years after releasing the film, Guy Ritchie revealed in an interview that his experience with Swept Away was "quite a painful one."

While he didn't exactly point fingers, he hinted that his closeness with the lead actress played a factor. "There were a couple of issues," he said. "One was making it with my ex-wife, and two was making it on the back of my previous films."

But does he regret that gratuitous "Come On-a My House" dance number? Now that's the real question.

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Amber Leighton takes entitled diva to an unbearable level, berating the ship crew to the point that they fantasize about shoving fish in her face and throwing her overboard. Still, pampered princess isn't a far cry from the pop star we love, and at the time of release, Guy Ritchie told SF Gate that was the point.

"[The character is] a little bit of a take on Madonna," he explained. "I wanted her to sort of be taking the piss out of herself." If Amber had given us "Like a Prayer," maybe audiences would have been more forgiving.

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Even though a theatrical release was planned in the United Kingdom, Swept Away bombed so badly in the U.S. that its distributors decided to go straight-to-video for the film's release across the pond.

It was an especially telling blow, considering Ritchie hails from England. Yikes!

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At some point in the film, the couple finds alcohol on the island and start barking at each other… which devolves into a game of charades. By this point, enough weird sh*t has happened in the movie that we have no choice but to buy in.

Though if you look closely, you’ll notice the amount of libations left in the bottle changes too many times to count as "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens" by Louis Jordan plays, underscoring one of many unnecessary montages.

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For whatever reason, the remake was titled Love, Sex, Drugs & Money up until just a few months before its October 2002 release. While the name is intriguing, we doubt that its provocative promises could’ve saved this train wreck.

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Though he’d eventually helm blockbusters like Sherlock Holmes and Aladdin, it took Guy Ritchie a while to bounce back from Swept Away. And he learned a few things along the way!

While Ritchie maintained that he and Madonna "were both happy with what we did [with Swept Away]," when asked in 2007 if he’d ever direct his then-wife again, he quipped, "Life is too short, don't you think?"

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That's right, Effie Trinket was in this dud! Elizabeth Banks had a minuscule but hilarious role as Debi, a pretty dumb thing that Madonna and friends teased mercilessly.

Though she didn't comment on the quality of Swept Away (smart choice), Banks did reflect on working alongside Madonna while interviewing the "Like a Virgin" legend for The Hollywood Reporter in 2016. "Her music had been the soundtrack to my preteen angst, and she was my idol as a feminist and as an artist," Banks wrote.

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Madonna and team went into production on Swept Away weeks after the September 11, 2001 terrorism attacks in New York City. Due to the timing, the pop queen was reportedly given "special security measures", including a Maltese government detail, while filming on the picturesque island.

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Say what you want about Madonna's filmography, but she was giving us hits in the early aughts. In 2001, she ventured on her Drowned World Tour in promotion of her albums Ray of Light and Music.

Though the show stopping jaunt had just wrapped in Los Angeles on September 15, she was ready to start filming Swept Away overseas by that October. This diva must have been tired, but she was definitely in great shape.

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Though Swept Away marked the couple's first (and only) foray into Hollywood, it wasn't their only visual collaboration. Ritchie also directed Madonna's video for "What It Feels Like for a Girl" in 2001.

The controversial visual, which was banned by MTV and VH1, depicts Madge as a "nihilistic pissed-off chick" who goes on a joyride with her grandma, violently attacking every man she encounters before crashing into a pole. You know, just girly things!

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Whoop, there it is!

Matthew Vaughn (who produced Swept Away, as well as Guy Ritchie's first two films) was reportedly against casting Madonna from the start because he thought her "commercial viability as an actor was limited." Vaughn apparently thought Penélope Cruz would be a better fit, though Ritchie refused and the two never worked together again.

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Madonna gets what Madonna wants! According to The Telegraph, the pop star was very particular about her onscreen appearance in the film, a dynamic that may have ticked some people (read: her then-husband) off.

"Every actor wants to get their two cents in about a scene at the end of the day," she said, explaining that her working relationship with Ritchie was like the connection between Swept Away‘s romantic leads: "Sometimes we come to blows –– not physically, but mentally and emotionally."

Ritchie, on the other hand, cut the bullsh*t with directions like, "OK, wife, over there… get on with it." Different strokes for different folks!

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Shortly before Swept Away‘s release, a producer named Vincent D’Onofrio filed a lawsuit against Madonna, Guy Ritchie, and their distributors, claiming that he originally pitched the remake to the pop singer. He even tried to stop the movie's release, though a judge denied his motion.

Despite reports that he was going to court to seek damages in 2004, it's unclear whether D’Onofrio received any kind of settlement… though there weren't any profits to chase down in the first place. Just saying!

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While filming Swept Away, Madonna was 13 years older than Adriano Giannini, an age gap that the script acknowledges through some especially corny dialogue: "You don't have to compete with 18-year-olds," Madge's character says, to which Giannini replies, "I’m a man, and a man wants a woman." Bleh!

However, in the original Italian version, lead actors Giancarlo Giannini and Mariangela Melato were just a year apart. By now, we know better: it doesn't matter how old Madonna gets, if there's one thing we can count on, it's that her romantic interest is going to be played by someone hot –– and young.

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After nearly eight years of marriage, Madonna and Guy Ritchie called it quits in 2008, with the filmmaker receiving a settlement between $76-$92 million. The couple share two sons: Rocco and David.

What happened between the two exactly? Well in 2011, Madonna compared the marriage to stepping "into a soap opera," later admitting in a 2022 YouTube fan Q&A that getting married "wasn't the best idea."

We may never know the answer, but it's safe to say a Swept Away sequel is off the table.

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