Author: acsversace news

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American Crime Story writer: People only know part of Versace’s story

In summer 1997, Gianni Versace was on top of the world. His fashion empire was worth $807 million, encompassing 130 boutiques worldwide. After a period of ill health the Italian designer was fit and happy. And, after coming out in the early Nineties, he was content in a long-term relationship with Antonio D’Amico, a model. Life in his mansion on Miami Beach was good.

Then, on July 15, Versace, aged 50, was shot dead in a seemingly random attack on a morning walk along Ocean Drive. His killer, Andrew Cunanan, committed suicide with the same gun eight days later — it transpired that Versace was his fifth murder victim. The fashion world was in mourning.

But the wider world, while shocked by this senseless killing, soon moved on — in one sense, the loss was eclipsed by the death, six weeks later, of Diana, Princess of Wales.

That might have been that, had it not been, 20 years later, for the current TV vogue for true-crime dramas, and for the efforts of London novelist-turned-screenwriter Tom Rob Smith.

Smith, author of the thrillers Child 44 and The Farm, and creator of 2015’s BBC2 thriller London Spy (starring Ben Whishaw), wrote the scripts for The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. It’s the second volume in the US television anthology series overseen by the hugely prolific and successful Ryan Murphy (Glee).

The eight-part dramatisation, coming to BBC2 on Wednesday, stars Édgar Ramírez (Zero Dark Thirty) as Versace, singer-turned-actor Ricky Martin as his boyfriend, Glee alumnus Darren Criss as the disturbed and damaged Cunanan, and Penélope Cruz as the designer’s sister, Donatella. It’s the follow-up to The People vs O.J. Simpson, the 2016 mini-series which was a ratings and critical smash, winning nine Emmys and two Golden Globes.

“With O.J., everyone knew all the minutiae,” says Smith. “They had to unpick that to tell a story people didn’t know. This is a story where people only know a fragment.”

Hence, he says, beginning his drama at the end: the murder, told via an eight-minute opening scene in the first episode. Beyond hooking viewers with that graphic, curtains-up incident, Smith wanted to “get to the heart of Versace”. His primary resource was Vulgar Favours, a book about the assassination by journalist Maureen Orth.

“There isn’t that 500-page, warts-and-all biography on Versace. You feel that gap because he’s such an extraordinary figure. The things he overcame, how he changed fashion — it’s so monumental. You can’t imagine Alexander McQueen without Versace.”

Filming took place in Miami, much of it in Versace’s home, which is now a hotel. Veracity was key to the production, meaning they wouldn’t shoot in Los Angeles.

“The sea is different in Florida, the beaches are different,” notes Smith, 39, gesturing to the view: we’re talking in a hotel by the Pacific in Santa Monica, where Smith lives with his partner, Ben Stephenson. Formerly Controller of BBC Drama Commissioning, he now heads the television division at J.J. Abrams’s nearby Bad Robot production company. The couple have been here together for two years, and Smith — dressed in pricey-looking, beach-ready shorts and shirt — jokes that the kale juice he’s ordered “is very California”.

“The palm trees are different too,” he continues. “But it turned out that Versace preferred LA palm trees — they’re thinner and straighter. Miami ones are rugged. So he had LA ones driven across the country and planted at his home. I guess they’re easier to organise in a line around a pool.”

By coincidence, cast and crew were filming in the house on the 20th anniversary of the murder. “It was a strange time. One of the things I’m proud of is we celebrate Versace — we try and reclaim this sense of his legacy.”

“I wanted to contrast Cunanan — someone who is full of potential but has these missteps, and ends up this destructive suicidal, terrorist-like force, ripping down other people’s success — and someone who has just as many obstacles in life, yet builds this vast empire and has this loving relationship.”

It’s surely, then, a frustration that the Versace family have denounced the drama as a “fiction”. But Smith expected as much — they made similar comments when Orth’s book was published. Their stance put Cruz — a personal friend of Donatella — in a tricky position.

“Penélope had a real sense of the language of Donatella. She was involved in changing some of the line structure in the script, and the syntax.”

“We’re giving Penélope a heroic role. Donatella understands in this story that Cunanan is not just trying to take her brother’s life — it’s an attack on his legacy. And he’s trying to destroy the company. If this information comes out about her brother, then the company is in danger.”

“We’re not telling that as a piece of gossip. We’re doing it as this interesting narrative that this one man overcame that [illness]. But then he was struggling with the fact that if he told the world he had HIV/Aids, the company would have been worth nothing. This devaluation of all his life’s work — and what an injustice that is.”

Does the story have resonance for Smith? “This is a story of how you survive if you’re gay. Homophobia makes you think: how will I navigate the world? Growing up I never had a moral shame about being gay, I just thought I couldn’t be a success — all these avenues would be closed down to me.”

Smith, who was educated at Dulwich College and Cambridge, didn’t come out until he was 22, working as a storyliner on Family Affairs. An actress asked if he was gay. He said no. “I thought, ‘I can’t have other people know me better than I know myself’.”

He has, then, empathy for the Versaces and how the assassination of Gianni — and the secrets it revealed — impacted on the family. And he’s hopeful that Donatella might still come round.

“If they’re not going to watch it — which is completely understandable — hopefully they’ll understand that there is real love for them and their brother who achieved so much. I’d hope at least they’d hear that from someone — maybe even Penélope.”

American Crime Story writer: People only know part of Versace’s story

‘Assassination of Gianni Versace’ posts more big gains in cable Live +7 ratings for Feb. 5-11

“American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace” continued to be a strong performer in the Live +7 rankings for Feb. 5-11.

Episode 4 of the FX series grew by 0.6 points (0.3 to 0.9) in adults 18-49 with a week of delayed viewing, tied for the largest adults 18-49 gain of the week. Its total-viewer bump of 1.79 million people [for a total of 2.772 million viewers] ranks second behind “The Alienist” (1.8 million), and “Versace” also ranks at or near the top of the percentage-boost charts.

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‘Assassination of Gianni Versace’ posts more big gains in cable Live +7 ratings for Feb. 5-11

Cody Fern on the Unique Career Path That Led Him to ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace’

From executive producer Ryan Murphy, the FX limited series The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story illustrates what happened when the cross-country path of destruction of spree-killer Andrew Cunanan (chillingly played by Darren Criss) landed on the steps of the 1997 South Beach residence of Gianni Versace (Edgar Ramirez), where the international fashion icon was murdered. Based on the book Vulgar Favors by Maureen Orth, the series examines how fame, wealth and failed ambition collided with homophobia and prejudice, and ultimately delayed law enforcement’s search for one of the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted.

During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, Australian actor Cody Fern talked about the crazy career path he’s currently on, playing David Madson (spree killer Andrew Cunanan’s former lover and second victim) on Gianni Versace, the incredible experience of having Darren Criss and Finn Wittrock as scene partners, how working with Ryan Murphy changed him, as an actor, going from American Crime Story to House of Cards, the pressure of joining an acclaimed series in its final season, working on projects with a high level of secrecy, and why he’s already started writing and directing.

Collider: You were great in The Tribes of Palos Verdes and you’ve been a real stand-out in The Assassination of Gianni Versace. And next, you’re going to be in the final season of House of Cards, which is a very intense series. It seems like it must be a good time to be you, right now.

CODY FERN: Yeah, I’m enjoying my life, at the moment. But, it’s all just work. The thing that I’m grateful for is that I get to work.

When you think about what you thought your acting career might be, what’s it like to line up roles like this, working with the level of talent that you’ve been working with?

FERN: It’s crazy! All I can say is that I’m just so, so, so grateful. I think it all begins with great writing. You’re only as good as the writing, and I’ve had the great fortune of working on great writing, so that really, really helps. But, yeah, it’s wild. It’s really wild! I’m just taking it one day at a time, and putting my head down and doing the work. I’m trying to think of it less like a big role and look at it more like a microcosm of, “I’m just going to do this amount of work and this is what I’m going to do to prepare for it.” It’s so crazy to work with Ryan Murphy, and then work in the David Fincher world with Robin Wright. She’s so phenomenal. She’s just an incredible actress and an even better human being. I’m flippin’ out!

What’s it like to go from the set of Gianni Versace to the set of House of Cards? Is it nerve-wracking to be a part of the final season of a show?

FERN: I don’t think that it’s nerve-wracking, knowing that it’s the final season of the show. I think that it’s exhilarating, especially because I’ve watched House of Cards since Season 1 and I’ve been a genuine fan of the show. The most nerve-wracking part is the fact that I have so loved the show. It’s the same with Ryan Murphy. So, the nerves, for me, don’t come so much from being on set, but from being a fan, and that’s difficult to reconcile. I was on set for House of Cards, and we weren’t shooting, but I walked into the Oval Office and it was so overwhelming because it was something that I’d watched for the last five years. As an actor, it’s beyond a dream. You say, “I wanna be on House of Cards one day,” and you really hope and pray that you might get an audition, and then you might get in the room and, if you’re very fortunate, you might get a small role. I don’t think you ever think, “Oh, my god, I’m gonna be a new season regular on this show that I’ve loved for so long.” I guess I’m more nervous, as a fan of the show, than I am for any other reason. The reason I say that is that both sets are incredibly down to earth, supportive, creative, and all about the work. With House of Cards, Frank Pugliese has written an episode and Melissa Gibson has written an episode. Those are phenomenal writers, in their own right. With Versace, Tom Rob Smith wrote an episode, and I got to work with (director) Daniel Minahan. You’re so supported that any nerves go out the window because you know everyone is there to do their best work, and everybody is supporting you and rooting for you.

Does it feel different when you walk onto a set where everyone is there for the first time, like with Gianni Versace, as opposed to walking onto a set with an established rhythm, like with House of Cards?

FERN: Yes, absolutely! There’s a lot of pressure. It’s a lot of pressure, but I feel supported and excited by it. I think nerves are part and parcel of working as an actor. You can either work against them, or you can embrace them, and I very much embrace them. The nerves are excitement, in a strange way. If you weren’t nervous than you’d be in trouble.

House of Cards seems like it’s the most secretive of the projects that you’ve worked on. What’s it like to be a part of something that’s so secretive?

FERN: It was the same with Versace. It was so highly under wraps. People only figured out that I was in the show when the show started airing. Ryan is very specific about what information he wants revealed and when. That was crazy because Versace had started airing and nobody even knew that I was in the show. I had signed an NDA contract. With House of Cards, it’s another ball game. I don’t mean another ball game, in terms of status because I think they’re both top shelf shows, but there’s so much attention surrounding this season of House of Cards and so much speculation. I’ve been sent articles about the show that have falsely reported what’s happening. Collectively, as a cast, we’re not denying any rumors and we’re not addressing any of them. We’re just saying, “Okay, people really have a thirst for what’s going to happen,” but we don’t even know yet, so there’s that.

You weren’t on a path to becoming an actor. You were on the path toward a very different career. Had you always wanted to be an actor and just didn’t pursue it, or was there something that sparked that desire and got you to take that chance?

FERN: It was impossible for me to pursue, to be honest. I grew up in a town with just under three hundred people in Western Australia. When you think about being six hours outside the second most isolated city in the world, which is Perth, and then you think about the town that I’m from, which is called Southern Cross, acting is not a possibility. University feels like a world away. I went to uni and I studied commerce on a scholarship, and that was crazy and wild, in and of itself. I was never exposed to acting. I think the first real play I saw was when I was 22, and the first time I ever acted, and it wasn’t professionally, was when I was in 24, and that was in acting class. The concept of acting wasn’t something that was possible, but I’ve always known that I wanted to do it because I’d watched so many films and I was so engaged with them. It was an internal driving force, but it wasn’t a possibility. The short version of the story, in terms of whether there was a moment, really came from seeing Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth. That was the moment, as a teenager, that I really understand that this was what I wanted to do. Whatever she was doing was what I wanted to do. I didn’t have a concept of how she was doing it, of the structure around it or what it meant, but I knew that that was what I wanted to do. And then, seeing her ten years later in Elizabeth: The Golden Age, the lightbulb went off. The switch was flipped and there was no going back. It stimulated something where I realized, looking ten years back and looking at where I was in my life, at that point in time, what I was doing, what my trajectory was and what I was going to become, I knew that I had to change something rapidly. If I was going to do the thing that I loved so much, than I needed to do it. It wasn’t about wishing and dreaming and hoping. I actually needed to do it. That’s what changed everything.

One of the things that’s always true about everything Ryan Murphy is a part of is that he pushes all of his actors in ways that even they might not realize they’re capable of and they all get a chance to shine. How did your experience on American Crime Story change you and make you grow, as an actor?

FERN: That’s a great question. So much is said about Ryan being a creative genius, which he absolutely is. The word “genius” is thrown around too much and too often, and it should be reserved for people like Ryan. But then you meet Ryan, and you realize that not enough is said about how kind, how generous and how down to earth he is. He’s this mythological figure. When you meet him and you get to work on one of his shows, you’re already bringing everything inside of you – all of your skill, all of your talent and all of your willpower – because you’re working with Ryan Murphy and you know he’s the very best. You know that he’s the real deal. And then, he gets the best writers and the best directors. Daniel Minahan, who directed Episode 4, “House by the Lake,” and Episode 5, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” is such a brilliant director, and that support structure was there. The thing that I’ve learned, working on this production, in terms of growth as an actor, is that it really is about risk. Ryan encourages you to risk everything. I don’t mean that just as one choice that you might make in a scene. It’s about everything.

It’s a state of mind, in acting. You have to risk being in a dangerous place, emotionally. You have to risk everything for the person that you’re in the scene with and you have to give everything up to the story. You’re working with a real person, on Versace. This is a person who was really murdered and whose story needs to be told. Viola Davis said that you exhume the body and tell those stories because they’re the stories that we need to hear, and you feel a responsibility to that. The thing Ryan does is trust you. He employs the very best people. Having somebody like Ryan put his faith in you, you bring your very best. I don’t think you’d last a day on set, if you weren’t bringing your best. Working on Versace, I learned to risk everything, to risk looking stupid and to risk everything, and to not leave anything behind. I learned to give everything over. You may fall and you may fail, but if you fail, he’s gonna be there to catch you and the material is gonna be there to catch you. You can’t fall very far. You’re not falling into concrete.

You had Darren Criss and Finn Wittrock to go through this with, and the work that the three of you did together is truly remarkable. How did you find the experience of working with them?

FERN: They’re so incredible. They’re such incredible people. Darren’s work is phenomenal. The thing about working with Darren is that he’s so off-the-cuff and improvisational within the material. I don’t mean that he’s making things up. Darren can give you 500 choices for delivering one line, and each of them can be true, so you really have to be on your toes with him. He keeps you alive, in the moment, because you don’t know how where he’s gonna go or how it’s gonna be played. That’s thrilling, as an actor. You can’t fall into the place of just giving a response that you’ve rehearsed. You don’t have that luxury, working with Darren. You’ve gotta be alive, in the moment. That is a real gift. And we just got along so well. It was the same with Finn. Finn is a very specific actor and he’s incredibly grounded in his work. The three of us knew the relationship between these three men. We start with the death, so we’re at the most intense point of the story, and then we get to unravel it backwards. We were all discovering it together. To build back, to a time and place where they were friends, they were lovers, and the times were golden, was great because we got to build that relationship as friends and chemistry is everything.

Since Ryan Murphy has a knack for getting his hooks into actors and not letting them go. Are you game to jump into any other world that he might have a role for you in?

FERN: I would work with Ryan, again and again and again and again, until the end of time. I know that that’s the way that everybody feels, working with Ryan. To work with Ryan again, I would jump into whatever world he wants me to. When you see the work that Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, Jessica Lange and Evan Peters have done, it’s incredible to see the roles that they’ve gotten to play. Denis O’Hare is one of the most underrated actors of his generation. I loved what he did in Hotel. There’s no way that I wouldn’t work with Ryan again. I mean, it always depends on the role and the script, but at the end of the day, I would work with Ryan again.

You’re still pretty new in your acting career, but you’re already also dipping your toe into writing and directing. What made you also want to get behind the camera and not just work in front of it?

FERN: I think that came from the fact that I’ve always known that I would eventually write and direct. That’s something that I’ve always wanted for myself. I just didn’t think it would happen so fast. The actual path towards the short film (Pisces), which was produced by Nancy Grant and Xavier Dolan, was because I was very frustrated, at the time. I had moved out to L.A. and I was always close to getting the roles, but just wasn’t getting them. I was working at such a high level that I was missing out on roles to people, like Dane DeHaan and Miles Teller. I’ve never met Joe Cole, but we’ve had this strange thing, where it’s always been down to myself, Joe and one other person. I was frustrated, so I was writing, at the time, and I thought, “Well, if I don’t get to do what I want to be doing and what I love doing, than I’m gonna make it happen for myself, and I’m gonna write, I’m gonna direct and I’m gonna act.” That propelled me in that direction. All of the skills informed each of the others. They’re not mutually exclusive. Writing really helps you, as an actor, directing really helps you, as an actor, and acting really helps you, as a director. I’ll be directing my first feature film in 2019. I’ve got a pretty full-on year, this year, but I’ll be going ahead with the feature, which will be produced by Nancy Grant. I can’t talk too much about what it will be, since I’ve gotta wait for the announcement, but I’m excited about directing my first feature. I really enjoy collaborating. Writing and directing was born out of a frustration of not being given the opportunities that I would have killed for, and that was taking me on one path, until Versace came along and House of Cards came along. Now, I’m being pulled on a different path, and that’s exhilarating.

Cody Fern on the Unique Career Path That Led Him to ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace’

How Versace rediscovered its glamour and glory two decades after the loss of its visionary

The titular character in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story is a mere footnote in a nine-episode saga that zeroes in on his killer, Andrew Cunanan who, in 1997, killed four other men across the country in a vicious spree. But the Ryan Murphy show does manage to rekindle our collective fantasy of the remarkable world of Italian designer Gianni Versace, perhaps the last of the greats in an era before fashion got too fast and too furious.

From the moment he (as played by Édgar Ramírez) steps out of bed in a pink Versace robe and glides across the immaculately tiled floors of Casa Casuarina, his Miami Beach home, it’s evident that this was someone who contributed an immense beauty to the world. It is a seemingly perfect re-introduction of his singular vision, one that reigned supreme in the 1980s and ’90s and has resurfaced like something of a couture ghost.

Aside from the well-deserved hype surrounding the FX series, the label’s current Spring 2018 collection marks the most celebrated it has been in a long time, perhaps since the death of its visionary. The collection, conceptualized as a tribute to her late brother on the 20th anniversary of his death, had Donatella, his successor, scouring the Versace archives for a “best of” compilation of the now-iconic designs that included Baroque, Vogue and Andy Warhol prints. The original supermodels – Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Helena Christensen, Carla Bruni – who were elevated to supermodel status on the same Versace runway three decades before walked the finale in matching Oroton gowns, made with an intricate metal mesh fabric Gianni devised in the early ‘80s. It was a joyful display of vintage fashion that didn’t in any way seem out of place on a 2018 runway, suggesting enough time may have finally passed for the brand to lose its clichéd nostalgia, and for younger Millennials and Generation Z to be introduced to Gianni’s work.

The timing is right, with Migos and Bruno Mars both name-checking the brand in their hit songs “Versace” and “Versace on the Floor,” respectively, and, of course, with Murphy bringing his name to primetime television. The star alignment for the brand could be considered coincidental, or it may mean that we’ve arrived at the precise point in the cyclical nature of fashion when the name Versace sounds like a symbol of power once again. Gucci received similar treatment last year, following in the footsteps of Tom Ford and Louis Vuitton.

This tribute to its founder comes at a potential crossroads for the house. It has long been rumoured by fashion trade journals, including Women’s Wear Daily and Business of Fashion, that Donatella has been eager to take the company public. In fact, we learn in The Assassination of Gianni Versace that her late brother had planned on doing so mere days before his death. We also learn that Donatella (played by Penelope Cruz) had clashing opinions with her brother on the artistic direction of the brand following his illness (the family has long claimed it was ear cancer, while the series makes a bold claim that he had been diagnosed with HIV, as alleged by author Maureen Orth in the series’ source material). Although she’s allegedly given her blessing to Cruz, Donatella has called the series a “work of fiction.”

The series depicts his final show as a true-to-life dueling ground for the siblings: Gianni’s designs were bright and joyful, while Donatella seemed to have fallen victim to heroin chic. “I want my models to look like they enjoy life,” says Ramirez’s Gianni. Donatella, on the other hand, explains that she wants the kind of attention that Alexander McQueen and John Galliano were getting at the time for their groundbreaking, often shocking work. She never got it.

Her first solo collection following his death was lacking Gianni’s signature joie de vivre, and received lukewarm reviews, as have most Versace collections of the past two decades. There were memorable moments, of course (the moment being the plunging tropical number Jennifer Lopez wore to the 2000 Grammy Awards), but overall, the brand has not enjoyed the kind of high praise or sales it did in Gianni’s glory days.

In 1996, just before his death, Versace sales topped $1 billion. A decade later, they were less than half that, suggesting the brand was on the path of gradual decline. But as of 2015, retail sales have been rapidly rising, partly thanks to a new retail strategy focusing on a greater number of brick and mortar stores, and a $290-million cash booster from private equity firm Blackstone Group that now controls a 20 per cent stake in the company. And if she does indeed go public, it may be a sign that Donatella is finally ready to let go of the heavy burden of being Gianni’s successor.

In fact, the trades have also reported that Donatella has been on a search for her own replacement, a fresh eye that can capture the vibrancy of the Gianni era in today’s zeitgeist. Former Givenchy creative director, and friend of Donatella’s, Riccardo Tisci is reportedly at the top of the list, according to British Vogue. Although, there have also been rumours swirling about the possible involvement of Off White’s Virgil Abloh or outgoing Louis Vuitton menswear designer Kim Jones. Whoever it is, they have their work cut out for them — and a looming legacy to live up to. As a tight family-run business, Versace is one of the last holdouts in an industry that is almost completely run by luxury conglomerates such as LVMH and the Gucci Group. And capitulating could mean a complete brand restructuring.

Although Versace has undeniable worldwide brand recognition, it lacks a signature product range that can act as consistent cash flow for luxury brands. For many fashion houses, handbags and cosmetics are bread and butter. In an era of ‘it’ bags, Versace has given us none, and, aside from a few fragrances, there are no existing beauty products. But maybe the real question is if anyone wants them. Many were ready to write off Gucci as a predictably safe Italian brand, coasting on its former glory. With creative director Alessandro Michele and his signature attitude at the helm, Gucci has finally come out of the shadow of its Tom Ford era. But Versace has a secret weapon — Gianni — and is finally ready to use it.

If the intrigue surrounding The Assassination of Gianni Versace is any indication, we are not yet done with the late visionary. Aside from a healthy dose of nostalgia, the early ‘90s Versace aesthetic fits perfectly in the current taste for remixed classics and logo-heavy luxury goods. As numbers and trends have proven, Versace’s spring collection is bound to fly off the racks suggesting, for the first time in a long time, it may prove to be more than its name.

How Versace rediscovered its glamour and glory two decades after the loss of its visionary

Recapping ‘Versace’: Episode 6, ‘Descent’

**MAJOR SPOILERS FOR EPISDOE 6**

As we enter the back half of “The Assassination of Gianni Versace,” it’s becoming clear that this is the Andrew Cunanan story. The show is less an examination of how the fashion designer was murdered but why he was murdered, putting the spotlight on his killer, marvelously portrayed by the dynamic Darren Criss. This is another week where we don’t see the Versace crew, including Penelope Cruz, Edgar Ramirez (Ramirez’s Gianni does appear in one scene but as a figment of Andrew’s imagination) and Ricky Martin.

In the sixth episode of the season “Descent,” directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton and written by Tom Rob Smith, the show travels further back in time – a year before Andrew went on his cross-country murdering spree. The episode opens with Andrew celebrating his birthday in San Diego where he’s living with an older, wealthy man named Norman (Michael Nouri) in a fabulous seaside house. But it’s all a show, an attempt to woo and impress David Madson (Cody Fern). Andrew explains to his best friend Elizabeth Cote (the wonderful Annaleigh Ashford), that he’s staying with Norma “curating” his home and designing its decor. Andrew goes on to say he sees a “future” with David and that he’s trying to be “someone he can love.”

Also at the birthday party is Jeff Trail (Finn Wittrock), dressed in blue jeans and sneakers. Andrew hands Jeff a pair of fancy loafers to wear for the party. Jeff has brought a gift for Andrew, but Andrew gives him another gift to pass him in its place.

“I want [David] to see I have really good friends,” Andrew tells Jeff. “…I need you to look the part.”

“What does a good friend look like?” Jeff asks. “How is this going to help?”

“I need him to know [that you love me],” Andrew says.

Jeff finally agrees but before Andrew tells him that he told David he is still serving in the Navy. He reluctantly agrees.

As the episode goes on, it continues to dig into Andrew’s compulsive lying as well as his drug addiction. Not only does he lead David to believe Norman’s house is actually his, but he tells him he used to design clothes with Gianni Versace. Later in the episode, we see Andrew doing hard drugs.

“We’ll have a house like this one day. Maybe this very one,” he tells David. Shortly after, Jeff hands Andrew the gift Andrew gave him, which turn out to be a pair of Ferragamo shoes.

That’s when Jeff and David meet for the first time – and seemingly make a connection, upsetting Andrew.

“Descent” also features one of the few characters in the series who acts as a direct foil to Andrew. One of Norman’s friends, played by “Saturday Night Live” alum Terry Sweeney, is fully aware of Andrew’s lies and act, giving him a hard time throughout the episode, letting Andrew know he’s on to him.

“I have a birthday present for you, it’s a piece of advice. You think Norman is the lucky one. You’re wrong, you’re the lucky one,” he tells Andrew. “Norman is a conservative old queer… most men would make it clear you’re an employee, but he wants you to feel like you’re an equal. But you’re not an equal.”

He goes on to say Norman was vulnerable when he met Andrew and that his partner died of AIDS, suggesting Andrew preyed on his friend during a difficult time.

“What a mix you are,” he tells Andrew. “Too lazy to work, too proud to be kept.”

“I need to get back to my party that room is full of people who love me,” Andrew says.

“Then that room is full of people who don’t know you,” Norman’s friend responds.

As the party continues, Andrew grows more concerned about Jeff and David getting closer and he attempts to balance out his lies. Later on, Lee Miglin (Mike Farrell) shows up at the party, adding to the episode’s fever dream quality – like at the end of “Alice in Wonderland,” where Alice confronts all the characters she’s met throughout her bizarre journey.

After the party, Norman confronts Andrew about his lies, his past, and his current behavior. He says he won’t be taken for a fool, and if Andrew can’t share his life with him then he has to leave Norman’s multi-million-dollar home. This upsets Andrew, who smashes Norman’s glass table with a chair and announces he’s leaving but “expect[s Norman] to call me.”

Andrew indeed leaves, moving into a crummy studio apartment. Jeff then visits Andrew, and the two fight about Andrew sending Jeff’s father a postcard that suggested Jeff is gay. During their argument, Jeff tells Andrew he’s moving because he’s unhappy, and Andrew contributed to that unhappiness.

Andrew then invites David to Los Angeles, where he arranges a five-star hotel stay, rents a sports car and wines and dines David, continuing his unhealthy, lying lifestyle. Despite all his attempts to impress David, which includes buying him a new suit, David still isn’t connecting with Andrew and tells him so.

A desperate Andrew tries to impress David even more but it doesn’t work and David says the two can’t take the next step in their relationship. He says he wants to get to know the real Andrew and get to the truth. But Andrew can’t help himself and he continues to lie about his family, saying his dad was a wealthy stockbroker and his mother ran a successful publishing house. David, however, sees through Andrew’s lies; an excellent Cody Fern plays the moment so well you can see David’s face drooping in disappointment.

“David, I’m a good person, who wants to be good to you,” Andrew says.

“One day you’re going to make someone very happy. I know you will,” David responds.

After things dissolve with David, Andrew is left feeling helpless and spiraling out of control. Parts of “The Assassination of Versace” have had a dreamlike quality, as writer Tom Rob Smith had to create a number of moments. “Descent” features one of the most vibrant and creepy scenes in the series, where a drugged-out Andrew envisions himself meeting Gianni Versace; the scene is cloaked in a crimson red glow as Andrew debates with Gianni about the life he should have had and that Gianni stole it from him.

“People have taken from me and taken from me… now I’m spent,” he tells Gianni, as he measures him for a suit. “This world has wasted me while it has turned you, Mr. Versace, into a star.”

“You think you’re better than me? You’re not better than me. We’re the same – the only difference is you got lucky,” Andrew adds.

“It’s not the only difference, sir,” Gianni says.

“What else you got?” Andrew asks.

“I have love,” the designer responds.

After the nightmare, Andrew, disheveled, high and desperate, tries to break into Norman’s house late at night, pleading with him to take him back. Of course, Norman doesn’t and threatens to call the police.

The next morning, Andrew goes to his mother’s home, who lives in a sad one-bedroom apartment. The end of “Decent” is completely devastating, as it’s the first time we see Mary Ann Cunanan (Joanna P. Adler), who is a sad and unhinged woman.

“I’m unhappy,” Andrew tells his mother, who ignores him and launches into a story about how she ran into a friend and bragged about Andrew working with Versace, traveling the world – of course, none of this is true and only adds to Andrew’s self-hate in the moment.

“I wish you could stay with me,” Andrew’s mother says, holding her son. “But I have to share you with the world.”

As Andrew leaves, he tells his mother he is going to visit Minneapolis – where David lives and where Jeff eventually moves.

“Descent” gives more context to Andrew and why he is the way he is, but it’s only scratching the surface of what’s to come.

Recapping ‘Versace’: Episode 6, ‘Descent’