Madonna's Confessions II Film Brings Kate Moss, Benedict Cumberbatch and Chelsea FC Stars Together in a West London Bathroom

Madonna has released a 14-minute short film to accompany her forthcoming album Confessions II, and it features one of the more eclectic guest lists in recent music video history. Filmed over four days at a West London studio earlier this year, the production sets six unreleased tracks against a club bathroom backdrop — and fills that bathroom with an array of faces drawn from fashion, film, television and professional football.

The album itself is due for release on 3 July, arriving 21 years after the original Confessions on a Dancefloor. At a Q&A following the film's premiere, the 67-year-old pop icon offered a glimpse of the ethos behind the project. "Put your phones down, go out, and connect with people," she told the audience — a sentiment that sits somewhat ironically alongside a music video designed to generate maximum online attention.

Also Read: Dua Lipa and Callum Turner: From Intimate London Town Hall to Lavish Sicilian Extravaganza — Everything We Know

An Unlikely Cast of Characters

The film's standout sequence is set to an unreleased track called Danceteria and takes place in the club toilets, where supermodel Kate Moss, actor Benedict Cumberbatch and Gwendoline Christie of Game of Thrones fame are seen dancing together. Richard E. Grant also appears. The combination of names alone has generated considerable discussion online, with many noting the sheer improbability of assembling such a group in a single location — let alone a bathroom.

Chelsea FC players Cole Palmer and João Pedro make a cameo appearance that has attracted its own share of attention, spotted at the urinals as Madonna passes by. It is the kind of moment that feels deliberately designed to confound expectations, and in that respect it fits neatly within her broader creative approach.

Provocation as a Consistent Thread

Elsewhere in the film, Madonna includes a scene in a bathroom stall with an unidentified man that is unlikely to go unnoticed. It is consistent with the provocative tone she has maintained throughout her career, and few who have followed her work over the past four decades will find it especially surprising. The film as a whole reads as a deliberate statement of intent — an artist at 67 making clear she has no interest in softening her approach for the sake of broader palatability.

When asked at the Q&A about a potential Las Vegas residency — an arrangement that has suited a number of her contemporaries in recent years — she was dismissive. She expressed interest in the Sphere as a concept but made clear she had no desire to be based in Las Vegas on a long-term basis. Live dates are reportedly being planned, though no formal announcement has been made.

What to Expect From the Album

Confessions II arrives as a sequel to one of the best-received records of Madonna's later career. The 2005 original was widely praised for its cohesive dancefloor sound and remains a reference point in pop music from that era. Whether the follow-up can match it critically remains to be seen, but the promotional campaign — anchored by a short film that has already attracted significant coverage — suggests the release is being treated as a major moment. With the album just weeks away, the conversation around it shows no sign of quietening down.