In April 1985, it was pure, unadulterated Madonna mania. The Queen of Pop had dropped her second album Like a Virgin in late 1984. She had already met future husband (and future ex-husband) Sean Penn on the set of her “Material Girl” music video in February. Then, just as she was about to kick off The Virgin Tour, she also made her acting debut. Desperately Seeking Susan, starring Madonna, opened 41 years ago on April 12, 1985.
Dedicated Madonna fans will want to bring up Madonna’s earlier underground film A Certain Sacrifice, which wrapped in 1981, but it was a low-budget independent film. Madonna also got screen time in the 1985 movie Vision Quest, but only as an unnamed singer in a club without any real lines. So Desperately Seeking Susan … it really was her first true acting role in major commercial film.
Related: Madonna Joins Hit Show for Her First TV Role in Decades
In Desperately Seeking Susan, Madonna stars alongside Rosanna Arquette and Aidan Quinn. Arquette plays Roberta Glass, a bored New Jersey housewife who becomes obsessed with a mystery woman named Susan (played by Madonna) she’s following through personal ads. Things happen and, in part, because of one super-cool, gold pyramid jacket, Roberta gets mistaken for Susan, which sets her off on a new bohemian adventure in New York.
Desperately Seeking Susan was a solid box office success, too, grossing over $27.3 million in the U.S.
Check out some of the events surrounding the Desperately Seeking Susan movie.
Rosanna Arquette and Madonna pose on the Desperately Seeking Susan set:
Mondadori Portfolio/Getty Images
Here’s Madonna in lace and fur, attending the Desperately Seeking Susan opening:
Photo by Bettmann on Getty Images
Check out the Desperately Seeking Susan Blu-ray cover (matches the movie posters):
And here’s Madge decked out in her official Desperately Seeking Susan lewk:
Photo by Sunset Boulevard on Getty Images
Watch the official Desperately Seeking Susan trailer:
Madonna went on to star in a string of memorable movies, including Shanghai Surprise (1986), alongside then-husband Penn, Who’s That Girl? (1987), Dick Tracy (1990), alongside, then-boyfriend Warren Beatty, A League of Their Own (1992), and Evita (1996). She also appeared in the documentary Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991).
The singer was recently spotted on the set of The Studio, Seth Rogan‘s Emmy-award-winning show. She’s reportedly joining for Season 2 of the Apple TV show.
This story was originally published by Parade on Apr 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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