los angeles times – Page 2

“The Assassination of Gianni Versace” and “The People v O.J. Simpson” have much in common: Both series are part of FX’s “American Crime Story” anthology, both are scripted dramas that revisit 1990s celebrity crimes, and both are the work of mastermind Ryan Murphy.

Yet the Versace story, which premieres Wednesday, is a markedly different viewing experience from its award-winning predecessor.

There are no Marcia Clarks or Johnnie Cochrans in the Versace story, no bloody glove, no white Bronco. In short, the new series doesn’t coax audiences in with the familiar, dipped in decade-centric nostalgia.

Details surrounding the Italian fashion designer’s 1997 murder by serial killer Andrew Cunanan weren’t burned into the American psyche like those of the double homicide in the Simpson trial. “Versace” sets out to make viewers care about a case most of them will barely remember. This is the show’s greatest challenge and its sharpest point.

Versace’s demise didn’t hit the same personal or political nerve with the American public or the media, largely because Cunanan was a male escort and the majority of his victims were gay. While the murder made for salacious “Hard Copy” headlines, even as a victim Versace didn’t elicit the same kind of love as accused murderer Simpson. And here that disparity is painfully present across all nine episodes.

After the initial tabloid intrigue, his killing was largely considered a gay on gay crime. And in the wake of an AIDS epidemic, the inference was that these were risky men leading risky lifestyles, dabbling in the avoidable. Ignorance and bigotry allowed much of America to emotionally divorce itself from the crime.

The series attempts to recast Versace’s “assassination” at age 50 from a fading headline to a human tragedy, and for the most part succeeds.

In a painful scene after Versace (Édgar Ramírez) is found dying on the front steps of his South Beach mansion, his significant other, Antonio D’Amico (Ricky Martin), is grilled by a detective who can’t quite grasp what kind of partner D’Amico is (“business?”). And, if they were romantically involved, why were they bringing other men home from clubs? It’s D’Amico who ends up being interrogated about his lifestyle rather than possible suspects.

Penélope Cruz is stone-cold perfect as Versace’s muse and sister, the hardened Donatella, and Darren Criss is chillingly convincing as the psychopathic Cunanan.

The downside here is that this series, based on actual events and inspired by Maureen Orth’s book “Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History,” is sometimes too dark and brutal in its re-creation of the murders.

The very nature of the crimes, sadistic and premeditated, makes this series far more grim than “The People v O.J. Simpson.” It demands that viewers pay attention to homicides that went largely unnoticed until Versace’s, and it’s a lot to ask. The victims include Cunanan’s ex-lover and Chicago tycoon Lee Miglin.

Like many of Murphy’s projects, cultural context is half the story here. The same America that gave rise to celebrated designer Versace also fostered the monstrous Cunanan.

The series encapsulates that dichotomy and the societal and systemic prejudices that link them.

Homophobia, in essence, allowed Cunanan to kill his way from San Diego to the East Coast with relative ease. Police who’d been persecuting the gay community weren’t ready to protect it, and Cunanan’s surviving victims were reticent to speak up for fear of being ostracized or worse.

The second installment of the “American Crime Story” anthology lends these victims the respect they deserve. It’s up to viewers to decide whether they’re willing to explore the pain and injustice just beneath the tabloid headlines.

‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story’ is a painful and pointed look back

Edgar Ramírez spent much of the last year staring at someone else in the mirror.

The Venezuelan actor transformed himself into an elf working as a government agent in David Ayer’s contemporary fantasy thriller “Bright,” which opened in theaters and on Netflx on Friday. He also plays fashion icon Gianni Versace in the Ryan Murphy-produced limited series “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” which premieres on FX in January.

Over the course of his career, the 40-year-old Ramirez has played everything from a Greek god to legendary boxer Roberto Durán, but these two roles required something else entirely.

For “Bright,” which costars Will Smith, Ramirez asked the Italian sartorial house Kiton to craft his character Kandomere’s suits, while makeup artists gave him prosthetic ears, special teeth and a wig that was purposefully stranded together to look intentionally unnatural. Portraying Versace was actually more intense. Ramírez wore not only prosthetics but also a wig cap that made him nervous.

Ramirez recalls, “The first day, I told Ryan, ‘I’m ready to take this off and shave my head and put the wig on my shaved head.’ He said, ‘Edgar, trust me. You don’t need to do it. It looks great already.’ I had a little freaking out moment with the prosthetic, but I think that every actor using it for the first time can relate.”

During our conversation, Ramírez discussed the unique world building his character is a part of in “Bright,” and what he thinks viewers will learn about Versace.

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You shot “Versace” after this? What made you want to do it?

I was very excited about the team, and, of course, I’ve admired Ryan’s work for many years. You never know, but honestly, I knew that journey was going to be interesting. It was going to be something that would inform me with a lot of things.

Most of the public knows of Versace only as a brand. Others might remember him just from photos in fashion magazines and the circumstances of his death. What do you feel viewers will learn about him from your portrayal?

He was, above all, a family guy. In the most Greek way, in the most Roman way, I mean, he was an emperor. But very, very, very, very, very concerned for his family and for his legacy, family wise. This was surprising, because I was around when Versace exploded as a brand. I remember all the revolution in the ’90s, how Gianni mixed sexuality with glamour, something that had never been done before. I mean, the ’70s were run down and sexy, the ’80s were opulent and conservative and then Gianni married the two and everybody went crazy.

And the supermodels too.

Exactly. He created all that culture. I wouldn’t be invited to the first row of any fashion house now if it weren’t for Versace, who created this culture.

I know that Versace’s family was not involved in the project. Did that make you nervous going forward?

Cautious, but not nervous, because in the end, this is an approximation to what the life of this designer could have been like and, of course, our reconstruction or re-creation of the events that led to his assassination. Even when you’re doing characters or based on real people, again, it’s only impersonation. It’s not a photograph. It’s a painting. It’s not exact. If it was my family, of course, I would have reservations. First of all, it’s your life. They were a family that went through one of the most horrible tragedies that was witnessed in the world of celebrity and fashion in the last 50 years. It was horrible what happened. I wouldn’t want anything to do with it. I totally understand that.

So, two roles in a row where your makeup and costume were integral to your character.

No, it’s true. I’ve never thought about it. That it was one or the other where I completely transformed my body. Yeah, but with Versace, it was different, because it was a prosthetic, and the transformation was somehow deeper. To feel a bald cap and to see your head shape change? It was kind of scary at the beginning, because I thought that it might look fake but also because it always takes you some time to get used to see yourself like that. It feels very foreign.

Edgar Ramírez barely recognized himself in recent roles as an Elven government agent and fashion mogul Gianni Versace