Judith Light makes only two appearances in FX’s “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.” But boy, does she make an impact, especially in the season’s third episode, giving what Joe Reid (Decider) called “one of the all-time best single-episode performances in a Ryan Murphy series.” It’s a performance that deserves to be recognized at this year’s Emmys, and could bring the veteran Tony and Daytime Emmy-winning actress an overdue first win at the Primetime ceremony.
In the season’s third episode, “A Random Killing,” Light plays Marilyn Miglin, a high-profile cosmetics mogul whose husband Lee (Mike Farrell), a prominent developer and philanthropist, was brutally murdered by Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss) in the months leading up to Cunanan murdering famed designer Gianni Versace (Edgar Ramirez). The Miglins were well-known Chicago socialites, and their marriage is portrayed as one of deep love and mutual respect. However, Lee is also a closeted gay man who regularly hires Cunanan as an escort when Marilyn is out of town.
Though Lee’s brutal murder is the key plot point of the episode, it is Light who resonates, giving a richly layered performance that alternates between stoic anger and deep pain. While it is never clear whether or not Marilyn was aware of Lee’s sexual proclivities, she refuses to allow her husband’s name to be tainted by scandal, and she uses her connections in the police department to squash the embarrassing details of Lee’s death, insisting that Cunanan was nothing more than a common thief and murderer.
Sewell Chan (The New York Times) called the episode “a tour de force [for] Judith Light, whose portrayal of a wife in denial is simply magnificent.” And he’s right. “A Random Killing” gives Light one Emmy-worthy moment after another, beginning with the episode’s cold open, which shows Marilyn’s chilling reaction to the discovery of Lee’s body, a simple mouthing of the words, “I knew it.” Later, when explaining her decision to keep the details of Lee’s death under wraps, she proclaims with equal parts heartbreak and venom, “Dollars, jewelry, socks, suits — that’s all I’ll allow that man to steal from me. He won’t steal my good name. Our good name.” What is Marilyn is trying to protect more: her family’s reputation or the now-shattered illusion of her fairy-tale marriage?
But Light also gets to show Marilyn’s grief in a devastating monologue in which she describes her relationship with Lee — their adventures and their accomplishments, the respect they felt for each other. When she finally breaks down in sobs after being questioned about her lack of public grief, she cries, “Am I a real wife now?” The episode ends with Marilyn selling her cosmetics on The Home Shopping Network and addresses her husband’s murder on air. As the camera slowly zooms in on her, Light delivers a devastating monologue about love and loss, listing all of the things that her husband was to her, that they were a team. “How many husbands believe in their wives’ dreams?” she asks. The episode ends in a close up of Light’s face as she closes her eyes, a moment of stunning emotional impact.
Although Light is no stranger to awards — having won Featured Actress Tony Awards for “Other Desert Cities” (2012) and “The Assembled Parties” (2013), and two Daytime Emmys for her iconic role as Karen Wolek on “One Life to Live” (1980, 1981) — she has gone zero for three at the Primetime Emmys, earning a Comedy Guest Actress nomination in 2007 for “Ugly Betty” and nominations in 2016 and 2017 for Comedy Supporting Actress for “Transparent.” Light’s status as a respected veteran can only help her in the Movie/Mini Supporting Actress category at the Emmys, which counts among its winners such respected actresses as Mary Tyler Moore (1993), Vanessa Redgrave (2000), and Eileen Atkins (2008), as well as Jessica Lange (2012) and Kathy Bates (2014), both whom won for their performances in separate seasons of “American Horror Story,” also created by Ryan Murphy.
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Emmys 2018: ‘American Crime Story’ could become the first show since ‘Prime Suspect’ to repeat as Best Limited Series
This spring FX’s “American Crime Story” returned for its second season, “The Assassination of Gianni Versace,” which explores the murder of the famous fashion designer (played by Edgar Ramirez) by serial killer Andrew Cunanan (played by Darren Criss). It’s the early front-runner to win Best Limited Series based on the combined predictions of hundreds of Gold Derby users who have entered their picks in our predictions center thus far. The first season of “ACS,” “The People v. O.J. Simpson,” also won top honors in 2016, so a victory for “Versace” would make this the first series since “Prime Suspect” to repeat as Best Limited Series.
Anthologies have had a TV revival in recent years. Ryan Murphy helped re-popularize the form with “American Horror Story,” which debuted in 2011. Since then we’ve seen other anthologies like “Fargo,” “American Crime” and “Black Mirror” earn acclaim and awards. But since that revival of the genre no show has won Best Limited Series multiple times. “Horror Story” lost all four of its bids in the top category: for “Murder House” (2012), “Asylum” (2013), “Coven” (2014) and “Freak Show” (2015). “Fargo” won on its first nomination in 2014, but then lost its subsequent bids in 2016 and 2017. And ABC’s “American Crime” lost twice in 2015 and 2016.
In fact, only two shows have ever won multiple times, and they predate the current anthology craze. The ratings blockbuster “Roots,” about the history of American slavery, won in 1977, and then its sequel “Roots: The Next Generations” prevailed in 1979. But “Prime Suspect” did even better than that, winning Best Limited Series three times out of five nominations. The British mystery series starring Helen Mirren as Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison won for “Prime Suspect 2” (1993), “Prime Suspect 3” (1994) and “Prime Suspect 5: Errors of Judgment” (1997). Tennison returned to the Emmys twice more, with nominations for “Prime Suspect 6: The Last Witness” (2004) and “Prime Suspect: The Final Act” (2007).
“American Crime Story” is unlike “Prime Suspect” in that it follows an entirely different storyline every season and doesn’t overlap its characters. So it’s hard to know for sure if television academy voters will respond to the “Versace” series as strongly as they responded to “O.J.,” but we know voters love Ryan Murphy, who has won 4 Emmys out of 26 nominations, including Best TV Movie for “The Normal Heart” (2014) and Best Limited Series for “O.J.” So do you think “Versace” will follow in the footsteps of “Roots” and “Prime Suspect” by repeating for Best Limited Series?
*Chris Beachum is a Gold Derby editor who has contacts with industry insiders, but take with a grain of salt nonetheless
Emmy spotlight: Darren Criss gives the performance of his career in Ryan Murphy’s ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace’
Darren Criss spent five seasons charming viewers and critics with his performance as Blaine, the charming and clean-cut crooner on Ryan Murphy‘s hit musical-comedy “Glee.” Now, Criss is turning the tables on audiences by playing a character who is anything but charming: serial killer Andrew Cunananin Murphy’s new FX anthology series, “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” and industry observers are taking notice. In her review of the series, USA Today’s Kelly Lawler wrote that Cunanan is “brought to life with disturbing energy and commitment by Criss, who has decidedly left his wholesome ‘Glee’ character in the dust.” Will Emmy voters take notice of Criss’s killer performance?
“The Assassination of Gianni Versace” follows Cunanan’s destructive path which led him to murder famed designer Gianni Versace (Edgar Ramirez) on the footsteps of his Miami home. Throughout the series, we see Cunanan’s path to Versace, a path that also involved Cunanan killing at least four other men. Cunanan is portrayed as a deeply disturbed, emotionally distant young man whose charisma is matched only by his mental instability.
We see both of those qualities on display in the show’s premiere episode. First, Cunanan is able to use his charm to endear himself to a wary Versace, ultimately leading to the designer asking Cunanan on a date to the opera. Later, the episode flashes forward to the moments after Cunanan killed Versace, and we see Cunanan alone in a parking garage, laughing maniacally and practically unable to contain his euphoria.
Criss’s performance has earned raves from television critics. Writing in The New York Post, Robert Rorke says, “Special mention must be made of Criss, who beautifully captures Cunanan’s ability to tell the biggest lies anyone has ever heard and literally charm the pants off anyone he sets his sights on.” The San Francisco Chronicle‘s David Wiegand calls Criss’s performance “exquisite” and says, “We may have read the papers and watched new accounts of the killing spree and wondered how anyone could have been taken in by such a malevolent poseur. The answer is in Criss’ Emmy-worthy performance.” Reviews like these instantly put Criss in the conversation for this year’s Emmy Awards.
Criss also has a distinct advantage in terms of screen time. As noted by our writer Riley Chow, Criss appears in every episode of the series — far more than many of the show’s big-name stars, including Ramirez, Ricky Martin as Versace’s partner Antonio D’Amico, and Oscar winner Penelope Cruz as Versace’s sister Donatella. Having that amount of screen time gives Criss the opportunity to show off all facets of Cunanan, from moments of charm and geneality, to outbursts of murderous rage and violence. With Criss as the standout among such a superstar cast AND having such a showy role, it seems almost impossible that the Emmys will ignore him.
Also in Criss’s favor is the fact that the Movie/Mini Actor category at the Emmys is full of winning villains: Armand Assante (“Gotti”), Al Pacino (“Angels in America”), Gary Sinise (“George Wallace”), and Kenneth Branagh(“Conspiracy’) are just a few. And despite the fact that this category tends to favor veteran actors, last year Emmy voters proved their willingness to reward younger talent when they gave the prize to Riz Ahmed for “The Night Of.”
‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace’ preview: Ryan Murphy sidelines big names for rising stars
Premiering January 17 on FX, “The Assassination of Gianni Versace” is showrunner Ryan Murphy’s follow-up in the “American Crime Story” true crime anthology series to “The People v. O.J. Simpson.” That debut season two years ago won 10 Emmys, including three for acting, but not for big names Cuba Gooding Jr., David Schwimmer and John Travolta. It was instead career-redefining work by rising stars Sterling K. Brown, Sarah Paulson and Courtney B. Vance that lit up the awards circuit. “The Assassination of Gianni Versace” pulls that same bait-and-switch.
Oscar winner Penelope Cruz features heavily in marketing materials as Gianni Versace’s sister, but appears in just half of the eight episodes made available for the press to preview (out of nine total for the season). Between the second and seventh episodes, she has only one scene. Grammy winner Ricky Martin is similarly absent as Gianni’s boyfriend. Emmy nominee Edgar Ramirez has top billing in the eponymous role, but spends most of the first episode on a gurney and tallies only one more episode than Cruz and Martin — by cameoing in a dream sequence.
“The Assassination of Gianni Versace” is really the story of serial killer Andrew Cunanan, played by Darren Criss. Cunanan is the only character to appear in every episode, with the show working backward from 1997 through his life and murders. The first two episodes explore Cunanan’s connection to Versace, with subsequent episodes expanding on previous victims — with only random and sporadic asides to the Versace clan — and the eighth episode delving into Cunanan himself, going back to 1980 to depict his childhood.
This procedural approach provides excellent standalone acting showcases for guest stars Jon Jon Briones (episode 8), Mike Farrell (episode 3), Cody Fern(episode 4), Judith Light (episode 3) and Finn Wittrock (episode 5). Fern and Wittrock are in just as many episodes as main cast members Cruz and Martin, but their appearances fit more organically into the narrative. Wittrock has already been Emmy-nominated for a standout supporting performance in a Ryan Murphy anthology series — “American Horror Story: Freak Show” three years ago.
Criss also got his big break acting in television under Murphy, on “Glee,” later writing a song for its series finale, earning the musical its sole Emmy nomination for Best Original Music and Lyrics. A compulsive liar, charming manipulator and homicidal psychopath, Cunanan is the role of a lifetime and Criss is perfect casting, down to his half-Filipino background.
Emmy nominees for “M*A*S*H” and “Transparent” respectively, Mike Farrell and Judith Light play a married couple, but neither will be eligible for Emmy consideration because they do not appear in five percent of the total runtime of the season, a prerequisite for the Best Movie/Limited Supporting Acting categories after Ellen Burstyn was nominated for a 15-second cameo in the 2006 movie “Mrs. Harris.” Also worthy of recognition, yet ineligible is Max Greenfield, unrecognizable in the opening two Miami-set episodes as Cunanan’s short-term boyfriend. Greenfield is an Emmy nominee for the sitcom “New Girl” and was previously directed by Murphy on “American Horror Story: Hotel.”
‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace’ preview: Ryan Murphy sidelines big names for rising stars
Screener reaction at Gold Derby forums part 3
I recall two times when people are having sex, both gay and both wide shots.
What else do we have on the horizon that could upset this for limited series? The first full review that came out for this was Dan Fienberg’s, which Metacritic scored as a 70. That sounds about right to me. (He was admittedly harsher on the first season than most; his review was an 80 for that, ten points lower than the Metacritic weighted average and it did not make his top ten for the year.)
It was just last year that the category was so packed and it seems pretty empty right now. Mosaic might be nominated or it might go the way of The Young Pope, which was also quickly burned off by HBO in January. Godless has its fans, but its Golden Globe and PGA shutouts do not inspire much confidence. Will have to watch the three screener episodes of Trust that I have, but who knows if that will even be eligible? Other possible nominees are The Long Road Home, Manhunt: Unabomber and Gunpowder, but none of those are winning. Genius missed PGA, but maybe the next season is amazing?
The other full review that we have so far is much more positive. New York Post critic Robert Rorke singles out “an excellent Finn Wittrock” and “future Emmy winner Jon Jon Briones”.
“The performances of the leads are outstanding, but special mention must be made of Criss, who beautifully captures Cunanan’s ability to tell the biggest lies anyone has ever heard and literally charm the pants off anyone he sets his sights on. He’s a lot like Patricia Highsmith’s Mr. Ripley, but Ripley was a fictional creation. Cunanan […] was sadly all too real. Murphy’s ability to showcase well-known performers in surprising cameos continues apace with gems from Mike Farrell, Max Greenfield and even Cathy Moriarty as a wily pawnshop owner. The Assassination of Gianni Versace is more personal and heartfelt than Murphy’s The People v. O.J. Simpson, and proves that when it comes to seductive allure laced with menace, no one in TV is Murphy’s match.”
Screener reaction at Gold Derby forums part 2
Watched the last two screeners that the press has, so I have now seen all but the finale of this nine-episode season.
#7 was the first one with an arc for Cruz that ran through the episode. She was better in #2 though. Then of course she, Ricky Martin and Edgar Ramirez were absent from #8. It would not even surprise me if they all missed the finale. It is not so much that their story is done as it was never theirs in the first place. This is the story of Andrew Cunanan as played by Darren Criss, as well as the story of his victims, in reverse-chronological order. Versace was his last, so we got to spend some time with Ramirez/Cruz/Martin early on, then the show moved on to before Cunanan had anything to do with Versace. But because Ramirez/Cruz/Martin are big names under contract, the show randomly checks in with them.
Criss has been in all eight episodes, Ramirez has been in five (including one with only a cameo) and Cruz, Martin, Cody Fern and Finn Wittrock have been in four. Somebody vaguely recognizable plays Cunanan’s mother in three episodes, but there were no credits on those ones and I cannot place her. Max Greenfield (Schmidt on New Girl), Dascha Polanco (Daya on Orange is the New Black), Jay R. Ferguson (Stan on Mad Men) and Giovanni Cirfiera were in the first two. Annaleigh Ashford (Betty on Masters of Sex) and Michael Nouri (Flashdance, Summer’s dad on The O.C.) were also in two. Mike Farrell (Emmy nominee for M*A*S*H) has a notable one-off appearance as the husband of Judith Light’s character.
#1 and #8 are the best episodes. Matt Bomer directs the latter and it the only one that runs over an hour. The story of Cunanan’s childhood and teenage years, it features an excellent one-off guest performance by Jon Jon Briones as Cunanan’s father. Who knew that Darren Criss is half Filipino? I suppose that people usually do not think that I am half Asian either.
Sex is minimal in this show. There is a lot of shirtlessness in the opening two Miami-set episodes. Criss has some nice dancing and nude swimming sequences later on in the season. Violence is not so bad, considering that this is a show about a serial killer.
Screener reaction at Gold Derby forums (SPOILERS for which episodes characters appear in)
I have seen six episodes so far.
Penelope Cruz:
Episode 1: Finally arrives on private jet 37 minutes in
Episode 2: Leaves on private jet 10 minutes in, later in flashback
Episode 3: Absent
Episode 4: Absent
Episode 5: Only in opening 4 minutes
Episode 6: AbsentCruz might end up submitting the second episode because it has her grieving, but it is not a showcase like the third episode for one-off guest Judith Light, the fourth for recurring guest Cody Fern (halfway between Chris Zylka and Domhnall Gleeson) or the fifth for recurring guest Finn Wittrock. Max Greenfield is unrecognizable in the first two episodes. Donatella often appears with her brother Santo, played by Javier Bardem doppelgänger Giovanni Cirfiera.
Ricky Martin is also missing in the third, fourth and sixth episodes. Ramirez is missing in the third and fourth, appears in a dream sequence in the sixth and spends most of the first episode on a gurney. The point is that this is decidedly Darren Criss’s show, even though the credits in the first two episodes are:
Starring Edgar Ramirez
Darren Criss
Ricky Martin
and Penelope CruzThe rest of the screeners did not have credits on them, so I am not sure if people are still credited when they do not appear. Criss is very good, although it is not far off from his performance as Blaine Anderson on Glee. If Blaine were a serial killer instead of a singing teenager, this would be it. There is talk in the Call Me by Your Name thread about how gay guys in film are often played by straight guys seemingly playing straight guys who are apparently gay. Suffice it to say that this is not that.
As for the show itself, it does not live up to The People v. O.J. Simpson or even Bette and Joan. Cult was more entertaining. Despite the title, the show follows Andrew Cunanan on his cross-country killing spree. Is he worthy of such examination though? He is a compulsive liar, so nothing that he says matters. It is a bit repetitive over so many episodes. His victims fit a pattern, but they are all innocent. It is sad that they randomly got killed, but it is sad when innocent people randomly get killed. The show is supposedly about the pursuit of the American dream and the failures of institutions and—most effectively conveyed—how being gay in the nineties sucked, but Andrew being a homicidal psychopath transcends all of that as far as I am concerned, two-thirds into the season.
There is some jumping around early on, but for the most part, episodes are ordered reverse-chronologically. The first eight minutes of the show have almost no dialogue, but the score never stops. It would be a good reel to submit in cinematography as well. The premiere is very well directed by Ryan Murphy, but the show is less dynamic after that. The second episode, directed by the cinematographer, has an excessively warm filter, like when Breaking Bad would go to Mexico.
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