Emmy season kicks off with FX hosting the cast and crew of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story at the Director’s Guild of America with Darren Criss, Ricky Martin and Edgar Ramirez in attendance.

The gold Oscar dust has barely settled in Hollywood, but the Emmy campaigning is in full swing. Monday night, the cast and crew of FX’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story came out to attend a screening of the final episode of the series. Darren Criss, Edgar Ramirez, Ricky Martin, Cody Fern, Max Greenfield, Judith Light, Jon Jon Briones, executive producer Brad Simpson, writer Tom Rob Smith, and Maureen Orth discussed working on the show and the challenges after the episode aired.

Hosted by Entertainment Weekly’s Kristen Baldwin, Criss who plays serial killer talked about the hardest scene for him to shoot. Criss said that it was easy to shoot the violent scenes, but what was difficult was shooting the scenes with Mike Farrell who plays realtor and millionaire Lee Miglin. “ It’s easy to get angry. But what is truly twisted and heartbreaking is looking into Mike Farrell’s eyes playing this deeply closeted man who loves his wife, and is truly a good man who is fighting a demon he can’t escape. Then me having to drive the car as somebody waging psychological warfare on this person.” He continued, “When I would leave those scenes, I’d feel like, Ugh”. I think people on set maybe thought it was because I was getting intimate with Mike Farrell, but it wasn’t that, it was having to penetrate a man’s soul who was trying so desperately to keep it together.”

Playing Versace’s longtime partner and lover, Antonio D’Amico was personal for Ricky Martin. He told the crowd, “it was very painful to be quite honest. When I was in the closet, I made a lot of my partners lie, so I was reliving that.” Martin took a moment to thank the cast, crew and creator/Executive Producer Ryan Murphy for the chance to tell the story. Actress Judith Light who plays Marilyn Miglin on the show added the the show talks about homophobia in the 90’s but it served as a reminder that we are still dealing with homophobia and “we are still not finished with it today.”

Simpson talked about the final episode which he said was the “hardest to figure out.” He added, “We had fragments and we had to put them together, but we didn’t have a plan on how to put them together.” The episode deals with the funeral of Versace, but also the manhunt for Cunanan coming to an end after the FBI close in on him.

Baldwin talked to the panel about their clothing. Longtime collaborator Lou Eyrich worked with Murphy once again on the extravagant costumes and wardrobe. Ramirez who plays the designer told the Television Academy audience that he kept the Medusa keychain used in the first episode. Criss joked he was wearing Cunanan’s pink speedos and Martin joked that he wanted the angel wings seen in the club scenes.

Darren Criss, Ricky Martin Discuss The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story at Emmys FYC Event – Awards Daily