penelopecruzoficial: Celebrating via FaceTime with this angel @edgarramirez25Congratulations brother!!!!! Celebrando en la distancia con mi querido @edgarramirez25 Felicidades hermano!!!! #emmys2018
Also in this interview, Finn says that he has a five-episode arc in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, which he is currently filming
rondenepr #TBT #caughtintheact Behind the Scenes of Entertainment Weekly’s Cover shoot with @ricky_martin as Antonio D’Amico at Versace’s former home, Casa Casuarina in Miami, FL. #ACSVersace #fx
LOS ANGELES—In person, Ryan Murphy is as engrossing as the shows he produces and directs, including the recent “Feud: Bette and Joan” and “The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story.”
Last May, we were in the late Gianni Versace’s lavish Miami mansion named Casa Casuarina. Ryan was shooting crucial scenes for FX’s “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” right where they happened, including the front steps where Fil-Am Andrew Cunanan (played by Darren Criss) shot Versace (Edgar Ramirez) to death.
Penelope Cruz (Donatella Versace) and Ricky Martin (Antonio D’Amico, Versace’s longtime boyfriend) complete the main cast of the series, which airs in early 2018.
Ryan, sitting in one of the rooms with ornately decorated walls and ceilings, dished fascinating details of this Spanish-style mansion, built in 1930 by an oil fortune heir and inspired by Alcázar de Colón, the home of Christopher Columbus’ son in the Dominican Republic.
“There are three levels of the house,” began the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning creator of “Glee,” “American Horror Story” and “Nip/Tuck.” “There are about 20 rooms. There’s the pool area where Versace would have his famous parties for Naomi Campbell, Madonna, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista and Elton John. There’s a room that was apparently Madonna’s favorite suite.”
For Ryan, who started as a journalist, there was no question they had to film in this house. “We bought out the house for two weeks. It was not inexpensive. The interesting thing about this house is that since the day Versace left us and died, nothing has changed except the furniture and the art. Some of it has actually been restored. We got permission.
Soul and sadness
“As soon as Versace was dead, Donatella came and took all of the art, his personal effects and all of that great stuff away. We spent a lot of time and money looking at photos and recreating the stuff that we could.
“I don’t think we could have done it if we weren’t allowed to shoot here, because this house is him. You can feel his soul and the sadness. The pool is just bats**t crazy, with the attention to detail.
“Every day, I’m finding rooms I didn’t know existed. Yesterday, we found a walk-in shower for eight people. So we had to shoot in there (laughs). There’s no place on earth like this house. It’s been a great gift to be here.”
The miniseries is still in production and is filming in other locations.
Excerpts from our talk:
Talk about why you cast Darren Criss, Edgar Ramirez, Ricky Martin and Penelope Cruz. Whenever I do something like this (like “OJ”), I always have one person in mind. So, Darren was the obvious choice. I was friends with him. I wanted people to see something I saw—which was, he’s a great dramatic actor.
In the case of Edgar, he looks exactly like Versace. When we have the prosthetic and the wig, it’s amazing. Edgar has that grandiose gravity as a human being that Versace had. He was my only choice.
Ricky is so soulful and intimate. I’ve worked with him once before. Antonio, the boyfriend, was a tragic figure because he was with Versace for 15 years and loved him. When Versace was killed, he was thrown out of this palace. He had suicide attempts.
So, I met Ricky. At the end of the meeting, we both got teary because he didn’t tell me that he and Edgar were close friends. Edgar wanted Ricky to do this part so bad, but he was not going to tell him, “Do it.”
The thing about Donatella was a little trickier because I obviously adore Gaga. We briefly discussed it, but she was doing “A Star Is Born” with Bradley Cooper. I know Penelope because of Javier Bardem and “Eat Pray Love.” She said “yes” instantly.
In researching on the story, what did you learn about Andrew Cunanan? We had the book that we bought and optioned, “Vulgar Favors” (by Maureen Orth). Cunanan was a mystery in many ways. The things that I was fascinated about are the creator/destroyer idea of Cunanan, and that he and Versace had the same beginning.
They came from immigrant families, and wanted to be famous.
Tragic story
Cunanan was also a tragic story. He was lied to by his parents, specifically his father, who told him they were incredibly wealthy and were almost like royalty in the Philippines.
He was treated like a celebrity in his own family. Then, it was all taken away, and he was shattered by it.
There was also sexual abuse in his family that we could never verify. He also wanted fame and fortune so desperately that when he killed the first victim, that was probably in a fit of pique and rage, he decided, well, I’ll go to jail, so I want to be famous.
Taking the life of a famous person became his fame, which is also a very American story that we see time and again.
Also, the key to this show is when you have somebody like Cunanan, who’s thought of in many circles as a monster and the person who took away Gianni Versace from us, you also have to talk about his childhood. Something along the way made him snap.
What surprised you along the way? The most devastating thing that I learned, because the family doesn’t talk about it, was what was happening with Versace. He had HIV and almost died. At the time, there was no cocktail (AIDS combination treatment). It was a death sentence. But, miraculously, he got his health back.
[But,] Versace was snuffed out instantly with two bullets to the face. That was the really devastating thing to me.
Barbaric, awful
The other thing is the sadness of the victims, how the Lee Miglin (one of Cunanan’s victims) killing was so barbaric, cruel and awful. Miglin was a closeted gay man. He (Cunanan) dressed Miglin up as a woman, with women’s panties and a lot of sex toys around so that his family would find that and be humiliated.
It was a very difficult show to shoot. We spent two days shooting the assassination. I was very upset throughout the filming of that.
How did you structure the story? For this story, the first 15 minutes involve music—opera, no dialogue, and it’s Versace restored to health, and starting his day with his staff, then walking to the News Café, intercut with Cunanan stalking him. So it starts with Versace’s murder.
What we wanted to do was tell the story backwards. So, we end with the Cunanan figure as a young man, and Versace as a young man trying to make a stab of it as a designer.
The interesting thing about this show is that there’s only violence and murder in the first four or five episodes. The last episode, of course, is of Cunanan on the houseboat and making a decision to kill himself before they can arrest him.
Did you have any contact with the Versace family about the show? Donatella has been very kind and lovely. As a mother, she has been protective of her children. That was her only request, which she conveyed to me through Penelope—she really wanted to make sure that her kids weren’t portrayed onscreen and that there was nothing about them in the show.
LOS ANGELES—“What about Donatella? That was my first question—would she be happy with this?”
Penélope Cruz initially balked at playing Donatella Versace in “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” because she has known the designer for many years.
What Ryan Murphy, who directs and produces the FX miniseries, told Penélope convinced the Oscar-winning actress to take on the role. Penélope, looking like a beautiful bride in a white floor-length dress by Burberry, with her hair swept up, talked to us about playing Donatella, who remarkably took over her brother Gianni’s fashion empire after he was killed by Andrew Cunanan.
From a teenage fan of Gianni who dreamed about wearing one of his creations someday, Penelope now has dresses designed for her by Donatella, with the fashion sketches bearing the actress’ face, no less. That was why Penelope hesitated at first to accept Ryan’s offer to play Donatella.
Now, the Spanish actress is deep into filming “The Assassination of Gianni Versace” with Edgar Ramirez (as Gianni), Darren Criss (Andrew Cunanan) and Ricky Martin (Antonio D’Amico, Gianni’s longtime boyfriend). We interviewed Penélope inside Versace’s former mansion in Miami where some of the crucial scenes were shot.
Excerpts from our chat:
Is it more intimidating to portray someone that you’re friends with? I don’t know if I’d say we are friends, but we have seen each other on different occasions, on and off, around the last 15 years. I worked very closely with the House of Versace. Every time I’ve been with Donatella and everybody who works with her, they’re some of the most generous people I have ever met.
I always liked Donatella. She’s a strong, affectionate, generous woman. When Ryan called me, I was very excited because I love Ryan. Everything he does is successful because he’s so good. Everybody who works with him loves him. I met him when he was working with Javier in “Eat Pray Love.”
When he called to say that he wanted me to play Donatella, I was completely shocked because I had no idea they were going to do this project. There were 20 seconds of silence, with my brain going like, would Donatella be happy with this?
I listened to what Ryan wanted to do. He said, I don’t think there has ever been a project that shows what a heroine this woman is because of everything she went through. When she had to face a situation she wasn’t prepared for, when everything happened with her brother, and she was going through pain and loss, she had to get strength from where she didn’t have it.
Everything that her brother created, she kept it going. I’m sure that was because she has so much love for him. But here she is, and the House of Versace is stronger than ever. It’s incredible what she has done.
Now that I know more details about their relationship, it’s a beautiful love story. They were brother and sister who were close to each other from when they were little kids. I want to do this with that passion, dedication and respect for the truth.
What do you think makes Donatella an admirable woman in these times? Donatella had to handle the pressure of managing the House of Versace and making major decisions at a time when she was going through so much grief and desperation. She lost one of the people she loved the most. That’s why I call her a heroine, because not everybody can handle that amount of pressure.
In the script, it’s very beautiful the way Donatella talks about the way Gianni created this House and how it started from a little store in Milan. It’s so emotional because she says she wants to continue what she had created with this man.
They created from nothing, and they were very poor. That’s where she gets the strength to continue, for him. Because in a way, he’s alive. What he created continues to be alive. She fought a lot for that.
You were 18 when the murder happened. I remember the day very well. I was studying in New York and starting to work in movies, but I was really there to keep working on my English. I was a huge fan of Versace. At the time, I didn’t know him or Donatella. He has always been one of my top three favorite designers…and Donatella, too.
I heard that news and couldn’t believe it. He was young and full of life. It was sad and horrible. This (show), at least in the way I’m experiencing it, is a dedication to him. He’s present in every corner (of this house).
What was your relationship to Versace? I knew every single piece from Versace when I was 15 (laughs). I was a big fan. I was thinking, maybe one day I’ll get to wear his [creations]. Now, when they make things for me, by Donatella, they put my face on the sketches.
How does the show portray Donatella’s relationship with Antonio? In the script, Donatella and Antonio don’t have the best relationship. I’m not going to give you too many details, but there’s tension there.
Ricky Martin mentioned reading a scene in which there’s “hate” between your character and Antonio. Not hate, but there was a big distrust. She wanted more from Antonio in terms of what he gave to her brother. But I wouldn’t say it was hate.
Can you talk about the hair and make-up process you have to undergo to play Donatella? I don’t wear prosthetics because in the ’90s, I don’t think Donatella had done any work. There are different wigs and colored lenses, because my eyes are brown. She has a little more green honey color.
The eyebrows are important, too. Her eyebrows are so white that you almost don’t see them. That changes the eyes a lot. It’s like a three-hour process. It’s the same as when I was playing Virginia Vallejo in Colombia, with the wigs and that much makeup.
Can you talk about the film you’re going to shoot after this, the untitled Asghar Farhadi project? At the end of August, we’ll start shooting in Madrid. I consider Asghar Farhadi a genius. That shoots for four months.
My character suffers so much. There’s a very important thing that happens to her. So I feel OK, then I’m dressed in a way that is very different, almost without makeup.
What else do you have coming up? We finished “Escobar.” They’re editing it now. We’re very happy with that. A load of tough scenes because imagine what goes on in that world. There has been a lot of movies that have the character of (late Colombian drug lord Pablo) Escobar in them. I’m not saying it’s better, but it’s different because you see the whole thing from the beginning.
“Escobar” is focused on his relationship with my character Virginia Vallejo, who was a journalist who trained him to talk to the people and educated him on how to connect with the press. Then, they started a relationship. When she wanted to get out, it was too late. I think the movie is going to be good.
Penélope Cruz è come tutti noi. Nei momenti meno indicati, il cellulare si scarica anche a lei. Quindi, quando entro nella stanza dove dovremmo fare l’intervista, la trovo inginocchiata in cerca di una presa di corrente. «Scusi, scusi, ma è proprio a zero, almeno mentre parliamo si riprende un po’».
Siamo in un hotel della Costa Azzurra, spiaggia privata fuori, salottini immacolati dentro, protetti da grandi finestre che riflettono cielo e mare.
Abbiamo intercettato Penélope in un attimo di pausa, mentre si dedica ai suoi impegni come ambasciatrice del marchio di cosmetici Lancôme.
Ma nei prossimi mesi la rivedremo al cinema e, per la prima volta, in televisione. Sarà Donatella Versace in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, diretto e prodotto da Ryan Murphy, che già ci ha tenuti attaccati al video l’anno scorso con la serie su O.J. Simpson con John Travolta. In questa nuova docufiction (se vogliamo chiamarla così, ma lo stile di Murphy è originale e non somiglia a nulla) Édgar Ramírez interpreta lo stilista ucciso il 15 luglio 1997 a Miami e Ricky Martin il compagno Antonio D’Amico. Murphy ha detto che la scelta più difficile è stata proprio quella riguardo a Donatella.
C’erano stati rumors sul fatto che il ruolo sarebbe andato a Lady Gaga (smentiti) e poi si è arrivati a Penélope che ne farà, dice Murphy, «un ritratto molto realistico e molto umano».
Dobbiamo aspettare, per vederla: The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story andrà in onda negli Stati Uniti a febbraio 2018 e in Italia ad aprile. Nel frattempo, Penélope sarà Virginia Vallejo, giornalista colombiana che fu amante di Pablo Escobar. Nel film, ancora in post produzione, intitolato Escobar, il narcotrafficante è interpretato dal marito e padre dei due figli dell’attrice, Javier Bardem. Inoltre, Cruz fa parte del cast di superstar del remake di Assassinio sull’Orient Express di Kenneth Branagh, che uscirà in Italia a dicembre.
Ma prima ancora di mettersi a parlare dei suoi progetti, mi chiede notizie di Fortunata, il film di Sergio Castellitto che ha partecipato al Festival di Cannes e per il quale Jasmine Trinca ha vinto un premio come miglior interprete della sezione Un certain regard. «È la storia di una parrucchiera, vero? Voglio vederlo!». Penélope sorride. Conosce bene Castellitto (ci ha lavorato due volte, in Non ti muovere e Venuto al mondo) e conosce bene il mondo dei saloni di parrucchiere.
Quando lei era bambina, sua madre aveva un negozio a Madrid. «Sì, ci sono cresciuta. È stata la mia scuola di recitazione. Le clienti si sedevano e, come se fossero dallo psicologo, raccontavano alla mamma tutti i loro problemi. Io fingevo di studiare, la faccia nascosta dentro i libri, in realtà studiavo i loro caratteri, mi bevevo le loro storie. A ripensarci, era una specie di film di Almodóvar permanente».
Lei sa tagliare i capelli? «Sì, e mi piace molto. Li taglio a tutti quelli che me lo permettono. Alle amiche, ai miei bambini, qualche volta anche a mio marito. Solo a me stessa non li taglio, perché non sono capace».
Quando la pettinano e la truccano per il set, a che cosa pensa? «Sono molto concentrata sul lavoro: ci metto mesi a preparare un personaggio. Imparo una lingua, se è il caso di impararla. Studio il modo di camminare, la voce, tutto».
E per Donatella Versace? «Forse uno dei ruoli in cui ho sentito di più il peso della responsabilità. Perché, oltre a essere una storia vera e molto dolorosa, io conosco bene Donatella, lavoro da tempo con la maison, mi hanno vestita spesso per eventi importanti. Ho grande ammirazione per lei, è una donna affettuosa e carismatica. La prima cosa che ho fatto quando me lo hanno proposto è stato telefonarle. Una lunga chiacchierata, molto personale. Oggi, per me la cosa più importante è che quando vedrà il film, mi scusi la serie, le piaccia».
Il lapsus mi aiuta a chiederle se fare televisione era qualcosa che aveva in mente o che è arrivato per caso. «Ci avevo pensato. Ci pensiamo tutti, no? La televisione è cambiata e la possibilità di avere un personaggio che si sviluppa ben oltre il formato canonico di un film per un attore è una pacchia. Però, fino alla chiamata di Ryan Murphy non c’erano state offerte davvero competitive rispetto al cinema. Mi piace come lavora Ryan anche perché, nonostante il materiale difficile che affronta, è sempre delicato, mai morboso. Altrimenti, non avrei accettato».
In Escobar torna a lavorare con suo marito. «Sì, e per la prima volta, da quando siamo sposati, interpretiamo una vera coppia sullo schermo. Un po’ una sfida, però è andata bene. Infatti lo faremo ancora, tra non molto, nel prossimo film di Asghar Farhadi (il regista iraniano premio Oscar per Una separazione, ndr). Per noi, dal punto di vista logistico, è comodo lavorare insieme. Ma non si può fare sempre, è importante che ognuno abbia progetti diversi».
Pensa di essere cambiata da quando è diventata mamma? «Molto. Cambi nel momento esatto in cui vedi la prima volta la faccia di tuo figlio. È una rivoluzione, anche il colore degli alberi ti sembra diverso perché lo vedi con i loro occhi».
Continua a fare la fotografa per hobby? «Poco. Una volta fotografavo tutto, le location dei film, le persone, ogni posto nuovo dove mi capitava di andare. Negli ultimi anni, ho fotografato quasi solo i miei figli!» (ride).
Una volta mi disse che le sarebbe piaciuto entrare nella Playboy Mansion e fotografare Hugh Hefner. L’ha poi fatto? «No, ma non è detto che non lo faccia, prima o poi. Intanto, mi sono dedicata alla regia. Ho diretto due spot per una marca di lingerie, Agent Provocateur, e poi un documentario che si intitola Soy uno entre cien mil (Sono uno su centomila, ndr), si può vedere su iTunes. Dura mezz’ora, l’ho realizzato per conto di un’organizzazione spagnola che raccoglie fondi per la ricerca scientifica sul cancro infantile. Ho incontrato molti bambini malati, le loro famiglie. Sono entrata nelle loro case, negli ospedali dove sono in cura. Hanno sofferto tanto e le loro storie mi sono arrivate al cuore, oggi questi bambini fanno parte della mia vita. Purtroppo i soldi destinati alla ricerca sono pochi, e invece la salute dei piccoli dovrebbe essere una priorità sociale».
Queste esperienze come regista sono i primi passi verso una nuova carriera? «Lo spero! Da molto tempo avevo in testa la regia, la scrittura e la produzione: voglio continuare su questa strada in futuro. Non abbandono la recitazione, però sento un forte bisogno di aggiungere altre esperienze alla mia vita professionale».
Un po’ come la sua amica Salma Hayek, ormai produttrice di successo. «Ne parliamo spesso e credo che presto faremo delle cose insieme».
Chi dirige e chi produce? «Una volta a testa. Siamo amiche, siamo uguali, non litighiamo mai».
Twenty years after the assassination, a TV movie remembers Gianni Versace, and Penélope Cruz interprets her sister. A woman whom the actress knows well and to whom, before accepting, she made a “very personal” call
Penélope Cruz is like all of us. At less noticeable moments, the cellphone is also downloaded to her . So when I get in the room where we should be interviewing, I find myself kneeling in search of a power outlet. “Excuse me, excuse me, but it’s just zero, at least while we’re talking about it.”
We are in a Cote d’Azur hotel, private beach outside, immaculate lounge areas in, protected by large windows that reflect sky and sea.
We intercepted Penélope in a moment’s pause as he devoted himself to his commitments as ambassador of the cosmetics brand Lancôme.
But in the coming months we will see it again in the cinema and, for the first time, on television. Donatella Versace will be Donatella Versace in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story , directed and produced by Ryan Murphy , who has already kept us attached to the video last year with the series on OJ Simpson with John Travolta. In this new docufiction (if we want to call it that, but Murphy’s style is original and does not look like anything) Édgar Ramírez interprets the stylist killed on July 15, 1997 in Miami and Ricky Martin by his partner Antonio D’Amico. Murphy said that the most difficult choice was that of Donatella.
There had been rumors that the role would go to Lady Gaga (denied) and then came to Penélope who will do it, says Murphy, “a very realistic and very human portrait.”
We have to wait to see it: The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story will air in the US in February 2018 and in Italy in April. Meanwhile, Penélope will be Virginia Vallejo, Colombian journalist who was a lover of Pablo Escobar. In the film, still in post production, entitled Escobar , the narcotracer is interpreted by the husband and father of two actress’s sons, Javier Bardem. In addition, Cruz is part of the Assassination remake superstar cast on Kenneth Branagh’s Orient Express , which will be released in Italy in December.
But even before talking about his projects, he asks me for Fortunata’s news , Sergio Castellitto’s film that took part in the Cannes Film Festival and for which Jasmine Trinca won a prize as Best Interpreter of the section “ Un certain regard” . “It’s the story of a hairdresser, do not you? I want to see it!”. Penélope smiles. He knows Castellitto well (he has worked twice, in Do not move and come to the world ) and he knows the world of hairdressing salons.
When she was a child, her mother had a shop in Madrid. “Yes, I grew up. It was my acting school. The clients sat and, as if they were from the psychologist, told their mom all their problems. I pretended to study, hiding in the books, actually studying their characters, drinking their stories. To recall it, it was a kind of permanent Almodóvar film. ”
Do you know how to cut your hair? “Yes, and I really like it. I cut them to all those who allow me. To my friends, to my children, sometimes to my husband. I do not cut them alone, because I’m not capable. ”
When they comb and make up for the set, what do you think? “I am very focused on work: I spend months preparing a character. I learn a language if it is the case to learn it. Study the way to walk, the voice, everything. ”
And for Donatella Versace? “Maybe one of the roles in which I felt more of the weight of responsibility. Because, apart from being a real and very painful story, I know well Donatella, working for a long time with the maison , have often dressed for important events. I have great admiration for her, she is an affectionate and charismatic woman. The first thing I did when I was offered it was to phone them. A long, very personal chat. Today, for me the most important thing is that when you see the movie, I apologize for the series, like it. ”
The cramp helps me to ask her whether to make television was something she had in mind or that she came by accident. “I had thought about it. We all think about it, do not we? Television has changed and the ability to have a character that goes far beyond the canonical size of a movie for an actor is a punk. However, up to Ryan Murphy’s call had not been really competitive compared to the movies. I like how Ryan works too because, despite the hard material it faces, it is always delicate, never morbid. Otherwise, I would not accept it. ”
In Escobar she returns to work with her husband. “Yes, and for the first time, since we are married, we interpret a real couple on the screen. It’s a bit of a challenge, but it’s okay. In fact, we will do it again, not too much, in the next film by Asghar Farhadi ( the Iranian Oscar-winning director for A Separation, ndr). For us, logistically, it is convenient to work together. But you can not always do it, it’s important that everyone has different designs. ”
Do you think it has changed since it became Mummy? “Very. Change in the exact time you first see your son’s face. It’s a revolution, even the color of the trees seems different to you because you see it with their eyes. ”
Do you still do a hobby photographer? “A little. Once I photographed everything, the locations of the movies, the people, every new place where I got to go. In recent years, I photographed almost my children! ”( Laughs ).
He once told me that he would like to join the Playboy Mansion and photograph Hugh Hefner. Did she do it then? “No, but it is not said that he will not, sooner or later. Meanwhile, I’m devoted to directing. I directed two spots for a lingerie brand, Agent Provocateur, and then a documentary titled Soy an entre cien mil ( I’m one in a hundred thousand, ndr), you can see it on iTunes. It lasted half an hour, I realized it on behalf of a Spanish organization that funds funds for scientific research on child cancer. I met many sick children, their families. I came to their homes, in the hospitals where they are caring. They have suffered so much and their stories have come to my heart, today these children are part of my life. Unfortunately research money is scarce, and the health of the young should be a social priority. ”
These experiences as a director are the first steps towards a new career? “I hope! For a long time I have been in the lead of writing, writing and producing: I want to continue this way in the future. They do not abandon acting, but I feel a strong need to add more experiences to my professional life. ”
A bit like his friend Salma Hayek, now a successful producer. “We talk about it often and I think we’ll do things together soon.”
Who directs and who produces? “Once upon a time. We are friends, we are the same, we never talk. ”
ACS news 