Just as Weird Al is a one-of-a-kind creator and artist, you’ve never seen a biopic quite like Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.

This exaggerated biopic features Daniel Radcliffe as “Weird Al” Yankovic, a young man expected to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a factory worker — that is until he gets his hands on an accordion. His father may not support his dream, but that doesn’t stop Al from embracing his passion and talent for whipping up brilliant song parodies, a craft that turns him into a chart-topping sensation.

In celebration of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’s world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Radcliffe and Evan Rachel Wood who plays a scheming version of Madonna visited the Collider Supper Suite and Media Studio at Marbl to talk about their experience making this hugely ambitious and bonkers biopic on a mighty tight 18-day production schedule.

Would more time and money have been great? Perhaps, but Wood and Radcliffe insisted there are other things the Weird set had that they wish they saw on more productions out there, even ones with astronomical budgets. Wood began by singing Radcliffe's praises. “I wish everyone was committed and as good as Dan is at acting and knowing lines and being fully ready and committed the second things start rolling.” Radcliffe added:

“This film doesn't get made unless everyone in the cast and the crew is on it. And also Eric [Appel], our director, was so prepared. It does, it puts other sets a little bit to shame. So the whole shoot was 18 days, I shot for 14 … It was really rapid so unless everyone is firing on all cylinders, it doesn't happen. And that's what I love about being on set is when you feel like you're in the middle of this thing that everyone is working together for this goal. It's a really energizing experience.”

Playing a real person is a high-pressure situation no matter the circumstances, but one can imagine that pressure might soar if that real person is heavily involved in the production. For Radcliffe, however, having Yankovic on set was a blessing for a number of reasons. Here’s what Radcliffe said when asked how he achieved the ideal balance between honoring Yankovic’s truth and having creative freedom while collaborating with him on set:

“I think definitely a lot of license and freedom was given by the fact that it's not just a straight Al biopic and impersonation. That, I think, gave me a lot of freedom to be like, okay, this is a version of this person. And I'm also really lucky that Al's nice! And that he wasn't sitting on set like a hawk being like, ‘Ah, you did that wrong.’ He's very, very generous. Most of the notes that I got from him were musical, and particularly about the accordion. He was like, ‘Can you be a bit more expansive in how you're pumping it? Because you're a bit cautious with that,’ and he's very expressive with it. So, I think he was a bit concerned that I was gonna make him look like a shy accordionist. So yeah, there was that, but generally speaking, it was intimidating but also, as Evan said earlier, when you would see him laugh at something, you'd be like, ‘Okay, great! I can go home.’ It’s a very good seal of approval.”

Eager to give the accordion a try yourself? Here’s Radcliffe’s tip for newcomers eager to give the squeezebox a go:

“I'd say anyone out there who's got some grounding in piano will probably be all right because the right half is pretty much just that. If you're good at the rubbing your belly and patting your head sort of thing, then you can do it. But I'm not, so both hands at once was a nightmare.”

As for Wood, Madonna had absolutely no involvement in the making of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, leaving one to wonder if she’s even aware she’s a main character in the film. Here’s what Wood said when asked if Madonna knows she’s a big part of Weird:

"If she is, she is not letting on. But honestly, she is the busiest woman in the world. She's got other things to do on her mind. She's got her own biopic going on. I'm sure this is not even a blip on her radar.”

Yes, just like Radcliffe’s portrayal of Yankovic, Wood’s Madonna is a parody, an extremely heightened version of the real person. But, in Madonna’s case, she’s also positioned as a main antagonist in the film. Given how she fits into the story, one’s got to wonder if Wood’s concerned about how Madonna might respond to her take or if she’s comforted by the fact that it’s all parody. Wood confirmed, “That was my saving grace is none of this actually happened, so I think I'm in the clear with Madonna here. I think it's okay.” Radcliffe also added, “I think it's so insane and extreme that I'm hoping she finds it funny if she is aware of it at all.”

Eager to hear more from Radcliffe and Wood on the making of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story? Be sure to check out our full conversation in the video interview at the top of this article!

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story hits The Roku Channel on November 4th.

Special thanks to our partners A-list Communications, Belvedere Vodka, Marbl Toronto, COVERGIRL Canada, Tres Amici Wines, Toronto Star, and Blue Moon Belgian White beer.