Pick of the day: Versace: American Crime Story, 8.30pm, Showcase.
It’s not hard to guess why, but Versace: American Crime Story arguably is mistitled to the degree it focuses not on Italian designer Gianni Versace but on the man who gunned him down at his Miami Beach mansion in 1997, Andrew Cunanan.
But by the end of this nine-episode series, Darren Criss’s depiction of the twisted fantasist and killer — his performance is being spoken of as an award contender — will sear into the memory.
Criss — best known for his role in Glee, created by Ryan Murphy, who also executive produces on Versace — tells The Australian his character begins the series mired in the lies he tells about himself.
“Cunanan exists in a larger-than-life headspace,” he says. “He is a classic narcissist in that he is somebody who can say something and ipso facto believe it is true.” Making him relatable, rather than alienating or appalling, was Criss’s focus.
“I latch on to the common denominators we can all relate to, and Cunanan’s flamboyant dishonesty comes from a sadly endearing place of wanting to impress people,” he says. “It’s less about lying; he’s a storyteller, this is how he survives.”
A key scene occurs in the first episode where Cunanan tells Versace (Edgar Ramirez) his largely fabricated life story.
“Edgar and I barely have any scenes together, but that is a key one in setting up the parallel between destroyer and creator, two very different but brilliant minds,” Criss says.
He says it was a “twisted providence” that Cunanan committed terrible crimes, which nonetheless has given the actor a career-defining role in a series he clearly is proud of.
“I’d like to think that if I’d done Cunanan first, I would have gone on to do something like Glee — I like taking as many twists in my career as possible,” he says. “We are all a million different people; I don’t want audiences to feel like they 100 per cent understand what my deal is.”
Versace: Glee actor in a killer role
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