Tag: interview

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, the death of an icon

COMING OFF THE back of the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning limited series The People vs OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, producer and director Ryan Murphy knew the bar was set high for a second season.

“OJ was a courtroom show, so this had to be different,” he explains.

Nobody can accuse Murphy of repeating himself as the gripping The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story comes to our screens.

Based on the book by Maureen Orth – Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace and the Largest Failed Manhunt in US History – the nine-episode tale begins with serial killer Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss) murdering Gianni Versace (Édgar Ramírez) on the steps of his Miami mansion in 1997.

It then traces the path of both characters in reverse, including events leading up to Cunanan’s killing rampage and Versace’s earlier brush with death.

“I was living in Miami at the time and [the assassination] felt very personal,” says Latin pop icon Ricky Martin, who plays Gianni’s long-term boyfriend Antonio D’Amico in his biggest television role to date.

“I remember that the atmosphere in Miami changed completely and people were living in fear because there was a man on the streets killing people randomly.” While the Italian designer’s romance with Antonio is explored in the series, so too is his relationship with sister Donatella, played by Oscar-winner Penélope Cruz.

“I’ve worked closely with House of Versace over the last

15 years, and I always liked Donatella,” says the Spanish actress.

“She is a very strong, affectionate and generous woman. I think I knew every single piece from Versace by the time I was 15 because I was a big fan and I dreamt one day I could wear his designs. Being in his mental space as this character is like a dedication to him because he’s present around every corner.”

The enthralling series pulls back the fabric on the rich and famous entrepreneur’s life to reveal what really went on behind closed doors, where the likes of Madonna, Cher and the late Princess Diana were amongst the regular visitors to his house.

“There is a Madonna guest suite upstairs, which was the first place I went to when we came to film [at the house],” Murphy says. “I heard she used to sit in the bathtub and stand up naked to tease them out in the courtyard [where they were] drinking.”

The Assassination of Gianni Versace is a touching tribute that transports viewers into the life of a global icon, and his untimely death that shook the fashion world.

Steps of death

One of the most significant scenes in the series is the tragic murder of Gianni. Murphy admits the gruesome assassination – filmed on the exact steps where he died 20 years ago outside the former beachside Versace Mansion-turned-boutique-hotel – was traumatic for all involved.

“The crew were crying, the actors were crying because it was the spot he was killed and you could feel his presence,” Murphy reveals of the two weeks spent shooting inside and outside of the property.

“Édgar was lying on those coral steps for two days and they were sharp, so that was awful for him, too. Ricky didn’t want to see Édgar until the cameras were rolling. Édgar had on the prosthetics, with part of his face shot off and covered in blood, so it was tough for Ricky to see his friend like that. He was heaving and sobbing and stayed in that state for a long time.”

Dead or alive

Venezuelan actor Ramírez shudders as he recalls the physically and psychologically draining experience of lying on those steps.

“It was an interesting exercise of trust and abandonment, because I spent days with my eyes closed, being handled by all the paramedics and witnessing all the emotions that Ricky put into it, as he was holding my body and screaming,” he reminisces.

The star says it was imperative that he put himself into a meditative state and keep as quiet as possible to play out the scenes. But it came with its challenges.

“When they put me on the gurney for the first time, I did have a panic attack,” he admits.

“My mind knew that it was fine, but my body was reacting in a surprising way to what everyone was saying around me and we had to stop rolling so I could get up and remind myself I was still alive!”

No acting required

For Martin, being cast in his most significant acting role came with all the emotions you’d expect: nervous excitement and exhilaration. A close friend of Ramírez’s, the She Bangs and Livin’ la Vida Loca performer vividly recalls the morning he arrived to film the scenes in which Antonio discovers the body on the steps and holds the dying designer until the ambulance arrives. “It was a luxury to be able to walk into the actual home that Gianni and Antonio shared, because all I had to do was touch the walls and I could feel the emotion; it was vibrant,” he says.

“I got there at five o’clock in the morning on the day we were shooting those scenes and I started working on my emotions inside the home. When I finally got outside and saw my friend Édgar lying on the steps covered in blood, I just started hysterically crying.”

Playing a murderer

At the same time his co-stars filmed Gianni’s horrific death, former Glee headliner Criss was in a different headspace portraying the killer who had been obsessed with the designer for most of his life.

“I can’t tell you how weird it felt for me to be walking around the house dressed as Andrew Cunanan,” Criss remembers.

“I was wearing the outfit that he murdered Versace in and walking around inside the house. But when I took a picture of the pool and saw myself in the reflection, sprayed with blood, I said, ‘Oh my god, I’ve got to delete this photo, it’s horrible and irreverent because Andrew never made it inside the house!’”

Being Donatella

Superstar Lady Gaga was originally intended to play Donatella. However, when scheduling clashed with her film A Star is Born, she was forced to pull out. With the other cast already in place, Murphy reached out to Cruz.

“I thought because she was friends with Donatella she could be an advocate for her,” Murphy explains of Cruz’s first TV role.

Meanwhile, the actress admits she was “shocked” when she got the call.

“I was silent on the other end of the phone for a while, wondering what Donatella would think,” she explains of her reaction.

But she embraced the opportunity, which required a three-hour process of multiple wig changes, contact lenses and those unique Donatella snow-white eyebrows to transform her for the cameras.

“In the end, I hope Donatella understands when she sees this that we are showing what a heroine she was. This is a beautiful love story between brother and sister, and what she went through to keep her brother’s dream and the House of Versace alive.”

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, the death of an icon

‘The Assassination Of Gianni Versace’ star Edgar Ramirez on the story’s backdrop of prejudice

The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story may carry a banner suggesting genre thrills but, just like the first season of the American Crime Story strand – The People v OJ Simpson, which won the Primetime Emmy for best limited series in 2016 – the second instalment offers much more than true crime intrigue.

Once again executive produced by Ryan Murphy for the FX cable network, the second season is based on the non-fiction book Vulgar Favors by Maureen Orth and centres on the story of Andrew Cunanan, the young man whose cross-country mid-1990s killing spree culminated in the murder of international fashion icon Gianni Versace.

Yet it was the story’s backdrop of cultural homophobia and prejudice that struck actor Edgar Ramirez as he portrayed Versace in the years leading up to the murder – years in which the Italian designer came out as gay and was hit with a serious illness. The Versace family said the illness was cancer, but Orth’s book suggested the designer was HIV positive when he died.

“It was something that we all discovered as we were doing the show, something that gives an amazing quality to the story,” says Venezuela-born Ramirez, who co-stars with Darren Criss, Penelope Cruz and Ricky Martin. “Although just the title – The Assassination Of Gianni Versace –  has a political overtone, it was actually the subtleties that helped us come to the conclusion that homophobia was the underlying subject of the whole story.”

Through the course of the investigation into the Cunanan killings, says Ramirez, “the element that always comes up is this sort of refusal to acknowledge the existence of a gay world out there. [It went] all the way from raging homophobia to mere ignorance, which is a very dangerous form of internalised homophobia. [Because] it was only gay men that he was killing, it most likely did not seem like a public threat for the authorities at the time.”

Ramirez — a former student journalist who has previously earned acclaim for playing famous real-life figures in the 2010 miniseries Carlos (in which he portrayed the Venezuelan terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal) and 2013 feature The Liberator (in which he starred as the country’s celebrated 19th-century military leader Simon Bolivar) – says that when it comes to these roles, he is “relentless when I do my research. I had access to some of [Versace’s] closest friends. I was very lucky they trusted me with their insights.”

What he did not do, though, for personal as well as legal reasons, is contact the Versace family, which includes Gianni’s designer sister Donatella, also prominently portrayed in the series by Cruz.

“The family went through one of the most excruciatingly painful experiences that a family can go through in life,” Ramirez explains, “and it all happened in the public eye. I felt that it was not right to approach them.”

Religious roots

At the same time as the series tracks Cunanan (played by Criss) and his complex relationships with his earlier victims, it also follows Versace through the business and personal ups and downs of his final years. The key to playing the character through those times, suggests Ramirez, lay in understanding the “cultural and religious imagination” that goes with the Catholicism of Mediterranean countries.

“I was brought up Catholic and it’s a world of miracles and a world of redemption,” the actor explains. “So while it’s impossible for me to know where Gianni’s head was at the time, I’m sure he believed in miracles. You can see it in his work, which was full of symbolism. And that was maybe where my head was at.”

Reaction to the series from the LGBTQI+ community and from Versace’s friends has been “very positive”, Ramirez reports. “People that were close to him and have seen the show have expressed very nice things about the experience of watching him again.”

The Versace family, on the other hand, issued a statement just before the show’s premiere saying that since it did not authorise Orth’s book or have any involvement in the screenplay, “this TV series should only be considered as a work of fiction”.

In response, Ramirez — who in parallel to his acting career serves as a goodwill ambassador for Unicef in Venezuela — takes the high (and diplomatic) road. “I didn’t see anything angry [in the Versace family statement],” he says, “or that they were against the show, as some media have pointed out. They basically said that they considered the book a work of fiction, and if the show is based on the book then the show is a work of fiction. I thought it was very polite and understandable.”

‘The Assassination Of Gianni Versace’ star Edgar Ramirez on the story’s backdrop of prejudice

How two dream roles came true for WA actor Cody Fern

Last year, West Australian actor Cody Fern told his agents he would only make the transition from film to TV for one of two projects: Netflix’s House of Cards, or any project by Ryan Murphy, who has created shows such as Nip/Tuck, Glee and American Horror Story.

Law of attraction or not, Fern’s intention was set — and he wound up adding both to his credits this year.

While viewers will have to wait to see the Southern Cross-raised performer in the final season of House of Cards later this year, his first episode of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, which has Murphy as executive producer, airs today.

“I definitely put it out there that I wanted to work with these people,” Fern says.

“You hope and you have faith and you work your ass off, but these are still very unattainable things.

“When I moved to LA, the film and TV industries were in different spaces. The rise of Netflix was just beginning and I didn’t want to be locked into something for a long time, I didn’t want to play a character for seven years.

“But now films are harder to make and they are seen by fewer people, whereas with TV, the quality is so high and the reach so wide.”

In the second season of American Crime Story, following 2016’s Golden Globe-winning The People v. O.J. Simpson, Fern plays David Madson, a former lover turned victim of killer Andrew Cunanan. Cunanan murdered at least five people, including Versace, over a three-month period in the late 1990s.

Fern says his research opened his eyes to homophobia in the 90s and he couldn’t help but notice parallels with his home country.

“I was filming it when Australia was in an upheaval over whether gay marriage would move forward and there was that ridiculous plebiscite, which, thank God, was overwhelmingly positive,” the 30-year-old says.

“Of course, Crime Story is about America but it does make you think of the wider context.

“It was so interesting to learn about discrimination and shame in the gay community, how far it’s come and how much further it has to go. When these murders were going on, David Madson and others were seen as meaningless victims.”

Based on the book Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History by Maureen Orth, the series also stars Penelope Cruz as Donatella Versace, and Ricky Martin as Gianni’s partner Antonio D’Amico. Cunanan is played by Darren Criss, who had previously worked with Murphy on Glee.

In addition to learning from a creative great such as Murphy, Fern says his experience on the show allowed him to relax into acting.

“It was a validation of sorts that I should keep going down this path, because it’s a difficult career to pursue,” he says.

“I think there are a lot of misconceptions around it because you have to work so hard every day to make it viable.”

How two dream roles came true for WA actor Cody Fern

In the Envelope: An Awards Podcast – Edgar Ramirez

Star of “Carlos,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Hands of Stone,” and more, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Edgar Ramirez has worked as an activist and political journalist, both in his native Venezuela and abroad. This season on the small screen he starred in “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” Ryan Murphy’s latest FX miniseries exploring the 1997 murder of the titular fashion mogul, a role to which Edgar brought his intellectual curiosity and nuance. His advice on transforming into a character? Do your homework. | 13 June 2018

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)


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Emmy Podcast: Judith Light On Her Dazzling Performance In ‘Versace’ – Awards Daily TV’s Water Cooler Podcast

Judith Light talks about working with Ryan Murphy, Broadway and the important theme of homophobia in American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace.

Judith Light has spent the day talking to press about her latest role in American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. We talk about how she divides time between Los Angeles and New York and our mutual love for theater.

Light was recently reunited with the cast of Versace and Executive Producer, Ryan Murphy when Pose premiered in New York. She raves about the show and Ryan Murphy’s talent. It’s easy to spend all day talking about Murphy and his groundbreaking work for TV, but we’re here to talk about Light and the outstanding performance she gives as Marilyn Miglin.

Her husband, Lee Miglin, a real estate business tycoon has been murdered by Andrew Cunanan and Marilyn, the Queen of Home Shopping goes to all lengths to preserve her dead husband’s reputation and maintain that the Miglins had a perfect marriage. “I won’t allow him to steal our good name.” She says when the police are filling her in on her husband’s gruesome murder. Much later, we see Marilyn break down after much public criticism over her cold behavior towards her husband’s murder. “Am I a real wife now?” She asks the camera.

Light’s performance is extraordinary, she owns every frame she appears in. Her expressions are nuanced, but her eyes tell a million stories. She has a Tony Award, a Daytime Emmy, but if you’re casting your Emmy votes, consider Light in American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace.

Listen to our chat below as we discuss Light’s early influences, how she crafted Marilyn Miglin, transforming, homophobia in the 90’s and working with Ryan Murphy. | 13 June 2018

We talk true crime with Darren Criss | Telstra Exchange

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With the entire series of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story currently streaming on Foxtel Now on Telstra TV, we caught up with star actor Darren Criss, who plays spree killer Andrew Cunanan, to talk about his character and the show itself. Telstra mobile customers can stream The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story with a 24 month Foxtel Now subscription included with selected mobile plans.

How different was this role to the one that you’re previously known for (Blaine in Glee?)

They’re different in that they’re known for very different things, but my point of attack for all characters is pretty much the same. And Blaine isn’t a real person. Andrew was a real person and people knew him, and people loved or were scared of him. He walked this earth. If anything I was more delicate with Andrew because he is and he was a real person, and the things that he did still very much affect people who are alive today.

What kind of research did you undertake to prepare for the role of a spree killer, Andrew Cunanan?

He was so many different people to so many different kinds of people that it was really very hard to track where Andrew was in the centre. Really, my guiding light research-wise was our scripts, because there’s the real Andrew I’ll never get to meet, there’s the Andrew I can kind of get from Maureen Orth’s book and then there’s the Andrew that Tom Rob Smith developed in our scripts – and you kind of have to let the scripts be your spirit guide and Sherpa through the mountains of Andrew’s mind.

Is there something that you learned about Andrew during your research that stood out to you as interesting or unexpected?

Andrew and I had an eerily big amount in common. Both grew up Catholic, both grew up half Filipino. You know I had a very different home life and the details are very different but we both gravitate towards not only big ideas people but big ideas in general – we have a penchant for embellishment. I always assume I have more in common with somebody than not. I just didn’t know it was going to be that much in common.

Your character wears a lot of Versace clothing throughout the show. Was there a particular outfit that was your favourite?

Ha! That’s a great question. I haven’t been asked that before. I mean, all the ’90s stuff was really fun and also I have this crazy hair do. I had a bit of a wig going on because my hair is really curly and Andrew’s hair was really straight. I have this sort of Richard Gere American gigolo thing that I really enjoyed walking around with, and wearing sunglasses – I just felt really, really cool. That was a cool look. I really dug that. I don’t think it ever goes out of style.

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story is streaming now on Foxtel Now. Get a 24 month Foxtel Now subscription with your Telstra Mobile plan.

We talk true crime with Darren Criss | Telstra Exchange

Mandy Moore and Darren Criss on Challenges of Stepping Into Leading Roles

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Neither Mandy Moore nor Darren Criss are new to the television scene, but both found breakout success with their current roles, which showed off their range as performers. As the family matriarch in “This Is Us,” Moore seamlessly embodies a character across four decades, while Criss deftly plumbed the depths of a serial killer in “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.” After bonding over a favorite track from Moore’s musical days, the two actors settled down to talk about working with visionary producers, chasing their dream roles, and coping with the responsibility of stepping into a leading role.

Mandy Moore: How did you get involved with “The Assassination of Gianni Versace”? Did you know immediately you wanted to audition for Andrew?

Darren Criss: The short version is I worked with Ryan Murphy on “Glee” for a bit. Although never directly, in the sense that, because I joined the second season. So I didn’t have that sort of “We’re building this thing together” relationship, but I was always sort of envious. I remember visiting the set of “Scream Queens” in New Orleans, and I had my 15 minutes with Ryan. I was like, “Hey man, heard you’re doing ‘American Horror Story’ with Lady Gaga. Let me know if you need like a wily bellhop on that show!”

Moore: So you just pitched yourself!

Criss: Relentlessly, without any shame. And he was like, “No, but I’m doing this crime story. I want to make it an anthology and I really want to explore this story about Andrew Cunanan and Gianni Versace. How much do you know about Andrew Cunanan?” The only reason I remembered it was because he was half Filipino and being a half-Filipino kid, it’s a thing that I would remember ’cause of we have similar ethnic background. He said he wanted to have it be a manhunt character piece, and so, as an actor, you’re like, “Sure.” The word character piece is great, not for the ego of being all about you.

Moore: Right, just for the juicy challenge of it.

Criss: Yeah, and also just having the breadth of space to dive into something. Which you aren’t always granted the luxury of doing.

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Mandy Moore and Darren Criss on Challenges of Stepping Into Leading Roles