This isn’t the first time “Watch What Happens Live! with Andy Cohen” has shot in Los Angeles, but there was something different Monday night about the Bravo talk show’s broadcast at the historic Wiltern theater. Oh, right. It was the rows of Television Academy Emmy voting members invited to catch the festivities first hand.
[…] As for the night’s episode, Cohen’s guests were two other Emmy contenders, “This Is Us‘” Milo Ventimiglia and “The Assassination of Gianni Versace’s“ Ricky Martin (who Cohen repeatedly reminded us also has a current Las Vegas residency). Word was having the two potential acting nominees on hand wasn’t planned for an audience partially filled with Television Academy voters, but it didn’t hurt FX’s campaigns that Darren Criss, also from “Versace,” stopped by at the end of the half hour to take shots with Cohen and his guests (Oh, drinking is also a big part of the ‘WWHL’ experience). Viewers learned that Ventimiglia is sort of a bad interview (the large audience might have hurt) and Martin is pretty blunt (he chastised himself for not coming out during a notorious Barbara Walters interview in 2010). The sound also was problematic (the audience often had problems hearing what was being said on stage), but a lesson learned when figuring out where to film the next time around. Other guests this week in LA include the entire cast of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” Anna Faris and Snoop Dogg, among others.
Ricky Martin, star of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, brought Spears up onstage. “Nine years ago, when I became a father, I knew I had to publicly come out; it was not easy. But I met GLAAD, and I am so grateful they were there to help me. This year, I felt like I had a mission to play Gianni Versace’s lover, Antonio D’Amico, and bring awareness to this tragic story. GLAAD knows that sharing our stories is what accelerates acceptance, and sadly, the lives of LGBTQ people—famous or not—are still at risk,” he told the audience. “We must all find our own ways to fight against injustice, whether it is directed at us, LGBTQ people, at immigrants, or at my fellow Puerto Ricans, who are still without food, water and power.”
Ryan Murphy’s Versace: American Crime Story centres on the 1997 murder of Donatella Versace’s brother, designer Gianni Versace. After returning from a morning walk, the 50-year-old was shot dead on the steps of his Miami Beach mansion by serial killer Andrew Cunanan. Cunanan wasn’t caught by police but killed himself nine days later while on a houseboat in Miami. In this season, Ricky Martin plays Antonio D’Amico, and he gets talking about stepping into the acting world, balancing home and work, and coming out. Excerpts.
Tell us about your association with Antonio We have spoken a lot, and obviously, he’s been incredibly helpful and so open in sharing his emotions regarding all this. I really needed to ask deep stuff because it’s challenging and the script is asking for it. So I just wanted to do justice to his love with Gianni. He was extremely open. He was very organised with everything that had to do with the empire. But at the end of the day when he was going to take a shower, he would take his clothes and he would leave a mess.That’s when Antonio comes in. He would help him to pick up the clothes that he left behind and it was very, it’s very much about caretaking.
What was it like playing the character Antonio, who loved Gianni so deeply? In the ’90s I was hiding my boyfriends. I was very egotistical, self-centred and I didn’t care what people who were open about their sexuality felt. But since it was about me, I needed to keep it quiet because in my head, I had this illusion that if I came out, everything was going to collapse. So when I did the scene, I could see Gianni’s side and Antonio’s side and me playing both because I’ve been in both situations. So it was beautiful not just to do it, but to be able to talk about this.When I came out, a lot of people around me, people that I loved, begged me not to do it. I did it because I had to, and then it was fantastic. But this is a story that brings a lot of themes to the table once again.
What have you learned about love after working on this show? That you’ve got to be loud, open and transparent. The control aspect that society brings into what a relationship must be — break it, erase it and see love as a white canvas that you can throw all the colours and the brush strokes you want.
You’ve stepped into the acting world. Do you feel reinvented by this? Literally, yes of course. But the most significant acting role dramatic role that I had up until today is my first one when I was 15 years old in a TV series that I did in Argentina because I had no life experiences when I was 15 years old.
How did you and your family deal with this transition of you becoming an actor? I was very happy that I was shooting those scenes in Miami because my husband or my kids weren’t with me. They bring out the best in me.There were very dark scenes and I needed to stay in that bubble. So, it was a week of being very methodical and living as Antonio. When I went back to the hotel, I would just cry. It took me time to decompress. It was very intense.
@omaze: Winners Bibiana and Gabriela had a blast with @DarrenCriss & @ricky_martin on the @ACSFX set. Plus, they got to take home some signed goodies! Thanks to everyone who supported @ChildrensLA.
The charts below reflect how THR’s awards columnist Scott Feinberg believes the Emmy standings would look if voting ended today. They are formulated using a combination of personal impressions (from sampling many programs), historical considerations (how other shows with similar pedigrees have resonated), precursor awards (some groups have historically correlated with the TV Academy more than others) and consultations with industry insiders (including voters, content creators, awards strategists and fellow members of the press).
Darren Criss, Andy Cohen, Ricky Martin and Milo Ventimiglia at WATCH WHAT HAPPENS LIVE WITH ANDY COHEN – FYC Event at The Wiltern Theatre on April 9, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.
ACS news 