On the morning of July 15, 1997, fashion designer Gianni Versace took his usual stroll, bought a newspaper, and returned to his Miami Beach mansion. He never made it past the steps, because a young man named Andrew Cunanan shot him twice in the head. The shocking murder, why it happened, and an in-depth examination of the lives of both the victim and the killer will play out over ten episodes in the miniseries The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, the second installment of the FX franchise following the Emmy-winning The People v. O.J. Simpson.
Based on the book Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U. S. History by Maureen Orth, it stars Edgar Ramirez (Joy, The Girl on the Train) as Versace, Darren Criss (Glee) as Cunanan, Penelope Cruz as Versace’s sister Donatella, and Ricky Martin as Antonio D’Amico, Versace’s longtime lover. The story begins with the murder, which was the last of at least five Cunanan committed on a cross-country killing spree.
“We tell the story in reverse,” says executive producer and director Ryan Murphy. “We get into how he had that motive, and why he wanted to do what he wanted to do and why it was allowed to happen,” given the social climate of the 1990s.
“Andrew Cunanan was able to make his way across the country and pick off these victims, many of whom were gay, was because of homophobia at the time,” Murphy points out. “’Don’t ask, don’t tell’ was going on. Various police organizations refused to put up ‘wanted’ posters, even though they knew that Andrew Cunanan had probably committed many of these murders and was probably headed that way, all of which we deal with in the show.”
“We examine [all] the victims,” adds executive producer Brad Simpson. “We celebrate the lives of these people that Andrew Cunanan snuffed out.”
The series also addresses the subject of Versace’s HIV-positive status, which he kept secret. “Versace had announced he was gay in an interview. His company was about to go public. He was terrified of anything coming out negative about his personal life. We delve into that in the show,” says Murphy. “I don’t think there should be any stigma or shame attached to HIV at all, even then. But there really was, and we address that headon.”
In addition to what he calls a “startling” physical resemblance to Versace, Murphy believes that Edgar Ramirez embodied the soulfulness and mystery necessary to play the designer. Like the other actors, he was Murphy’s first choice for the role.
“I’m a huge fan of stories that capture the zeitgeist and the spirit of the time that speak about greater subjects going on in society,” says Ramirez. “This story captures not only a very dramatic, amazing story that needs to be told, but how it captures the spirit of the time. It’s like a Greek tragedy. These characters are fated. And what is so amazing, and also moving and heartbreaking, is that it happened for real.”
Versace’s relationship with Antonio D’Amico is an important focus of the story, and Ricky Martin, who is gay, reveals that it affected him very personally. “Gianni was surrounded by ‘yes’ people. Antonio was bluntly honest. Antonio would push him to live life to the fullest. He was always right there. Nothing would separate them. And Gianni would not allow anyone to talk bad about Antonio.” Martin spoke to D’Amico and assured him, “I will make sure that people fall in love with your relationship with Gianni. I want them to see the connection you had.”
Playing serial killer Andrew Cunanan was a challenge for Darren Criss on several levels. “How could you possibly find something good about this person?” he’s often asked. “The bleeding idealist in me that wants to find the good in everybody has to really find that and exploit that as much as humanly possible, because we will see the worst of him. I found myself trying to make peace with it a little bit, in [playing] this person that represents something so horrible.”
He calls Cunanan “probably one of the most exhilarating characters that I’ve spent time with because he is so all over the place. He was an enjoyable, delightful, smart, brilliant kid brimming with potential. We see him at his best; we see him at his worst; we see him at his most charming; we see him at his most hurt. We really do get to know him as a person. It isn’t 10 episodes of watching Cunanan lurk around, doing horrible things constantly. I think if that were the case, I probably would have said no to the project,” he says, noting that he was able to gain insights from conversations with people who knew Cunanan. “It’s been a wonderful challenge to really find as much humanity in him as possible because we’ve got a long way to go with this guy, and we can’t have you just hate him the entire time.”
Screenwriter Tom Rob Smith’s script draws parallels between the lives of Versace and Cunanan. “Cunanan was from relative poverty, but Versace was, too. They had lots of similarities. One went on to create a business that was worth 800 million. And one became the opposite, this destructive force. And how these two lives collided is essentially the story we’re telling,” Smith says. Adds Criss, “In many ways, obviously, they’re very, very different men. But I think we try to find the common denominators between them.”
The miniseries was shot in Los Angeles and on location in Miami, where the production was permitted to film some scenes Versace’s villa Casa Casuarina—now a hotel–where the actors rehearsed before filming began. “Donatella sold the home, took the furniture and the art, but left everything else there, the structure of it,” says Ryan Murphy. “We had a full month there, and we really bonded a lot over the tone of the piece. And that was its own emotional rehearsal.“ Adds Darren Criss, “I walked in the building and could feel Gianni’s presence.”
Not surprisingly, Criss says that filming the murder scene “was an overwhelmingly emotional day” for everyone involved. “We shot exactly on the exact step where Gianni died,” notes Murphy. “The crew was crying.”
The interior of the mansion was reproduced on an L.A. soundstage, replicated down to the smallest detail, including an ashtray made in 1997 and Versace’s favorite orchid plant on a table. The department heads and producers “would have like 10 meetings before we even showed up at the location,” Murphy says. When you’re doing historical pieces, you have an obligation to really get it right.”
Extensive research on Cunanan was done as well, down to the laces in his shoes and the backpack he carried. But Murphy reminds that the show is a docudrama, not a documentary. “There are always certain things you take liberty with.” As Edgar Ramirez puts it, “There are moments where imagination helps to connect the dots that reality is not sufficient to connect. It’s a piece of a painting; it’s not a photograph.”
Comparing Gianni Versace to his previous O.J. Simpson miniseries, which was primarily shot in a courtroom, Murphy points out that the manhunt aspect of the story required many locations, and the glamorous aspects of Versace’s life included fashion shows, which meant elaborate staging and hundreds of extras. “It has a great breadth and a great scope,” he says.
Versace “lived outrageously and daringly. His life was opera, and he lived that. He was a disrupter. You can just imagine what Versace would have done if he was not killed,” Murphy muses. “The true loss for me is the loss of his genius and his potential to keep disrupting and to keep changing society.”
Ironically, Versace had just recovered from a very serious illness just before he was murdered. “I really admired the way that he pulled himself back from the brink of death and kept fighting,” says Murphy, who sees the miniseries as an opportunity to pay tribute to the designer and for young people “to discover him in a new way. We wanted to do honor to him. And I think we did get it right.”
Tag: tca17
monsieurhollywood very private and secret #setvisit on #americancrimestory#edgarramirez is amazing as #gianniversace also #darrencrissincredible as Versace’s killer and #rickymartin as #versace lover… can’t wait to see it on #fx in January 2018 #moretocome with #interviews and congrats to #ryanmurphy #acs#theassassinationofgianniversace #acsfx#monsieurhollywood #instahollywood#youtubers #instastars
Darren Criss On Playing Gianni Versace’s Killer – American Crime Story Season 2: Versace
Two years on from The People vs OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, Ryan Murphy’s most acclaimed anthology series will return for its second run, this time chronicling the murder of designer Gianni Versace. The opening nine minutes were shown to reporters at the TCA Press Tour this week, and they are ravishing, exhilarating and deeply stressful, devoting equal time to establishing Gianni Versace (Edgar Ramirez), larger-than-life and seemingly untouchable, and the man who is about to kill him, Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss), shaky and clearly unhinged.
After the footage screened, the show’s producers and cast fielded questions from journalists, with Criss, Murphy and the series writer Tom Rob Smith (London Spy) weighing in on their unusual portrait of a serial killer.“
Andrew was so many different personalities to so many different people,” Criss told BAZAAR.com, referring to multiple conversation he’s had with people who knew Cunanan. “For me, that makes things a bit easier—we see him at his best, we see him at his worst, we see him at his most charming, we see him at his most hurt. It’s been one of the most exhilarating characters that I’ve spent time with because he is so all over the place, and he’s capable of truly great things. My goal is to have people exercise their sense of empathy, because from the get-go we all know that he’s capable of something truly horrendous… it’s been a wonderful challenge to find as much humanity as possible.
”The book Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History, by Vanity Fair writer Maureen Orth, is the source material for the season. Very little is known about Cunanan beyond what Orth pieced together, but Smith teases out a parallel between Versace and his killer. “We were talking earlier about the similarities between somebody like Gianni and someone like Andrew,” Criss continued. “On paper, you go, that’s insane, you can’t possibly compare the two, and obviously they’re very, very different men. But we try to find common denominators between these two men who had different levels of brilliance that were guided in very, very different ways.”
Per Smith, Cunanan’s story is “much closer to a story of radicalization than a typical serial killer.” Prior to his killing spree in 1997, Cunanan had no criminal record of any kind; instead, “go back a year and he’s in a million dollar condo in La Jolla talking about politics or art, and really charming people. How do you get that person in that condo to a person who can brutally kill someone with a hammer?” The series opens with the event we all know about—Versace’s murder on the steps of his Miami home—and then, over the course of ten episodes, deconstructs that event and its backstory through the parallel tangents of victim and killer.
“You’re looking not at someone who is inherently monstrous,” Smith concluded, “but someone who has similarities to Versace from the outset, and the reasons why his footsteps go in one direction and Versace goes in a completely different direction.”
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story will air in January 2018.
Darren Criss On Playing Gianni Versace’s Killer – American Crime Story Season 2: Versace
“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” Will Detail American Homophobia In The ’90s
Yesterday, television critics got a first glimpse of the opening scene from The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story as part of the TCA Press Tour. Premiering January, the FX mini-series recounts the fashion designer’s murder in reverse—beginning with the day he was shot outside of his Miami Beach home and then unraveling the events leading up to that day across 10 episodes.
Creator Ryan Murphy was joined by screenwriter/executive producer Tom Rob Smith, EP Brad Simpson, and series stars Darren Criss, Edgar Ramirez and Ricky Martin for a panel about the series, which is still in production. Ramirez stars as Versace, who was at the height of his success when he was gunned down by Andrew Cunanan (Criss) in 1997. Martin plays his lover, Antonio D’amico, who recently expressed his distaste for the show.
“The picture of Ricky Martin holding the body in his arms is ridiculous,” D’Amico said. “Maybe it’s the director’s poetic license, but that is not how I reacted.” But during the panel, Martin revealed he’d since spoken with D’Amico.
“The first thing that came out of my mouth when he picked up the phone [was], ’I’m so happy we’re talking. And I just want you to know that this is treated with utmost respect,‘” Martin said at the panel. “But more than anything, there is a level of injustice with this story.”
“I told him that ’I will make sure that people fall in love with your relationship with Gianni,” the out singer added. “That is what I’m here for. I really want them to see the beauty and the connection that you guys had.’ And he was extremely happy about it.”
Like all Murphy productions, painstaking detail was put into The Assassination of Gianni Versace, with scenes shot in Versace’s home, Casa Casuarina, now a hotel.
“I was very emotional shooting it, as we all were,” Murphy said. “I mean, Darren and I were, and Ricky. The assassination was important and tough to shoot, and the crew was crying, and we were very emotional doing it. We shot exactly on the exact step where he died.”
Production designer Judy Becker (Carol) was also able to recreate the home and Versace’s design studio/office on the Fox studio lot.
“It is tiny things I love,” said Murphy, who placed Versace’s favorite orchid on a table as a tribute. “There was an ashtray that was actually made that year that he designed that Edgar snatches the keys out of. I really loved hunting those things down and finding them as a tribute to that character.”
Murphy has long been a fan of Versace, whom he called a fearless designer and an inspiration for being out when even fashion designers seldom did.
“I was always very moved by him. He was a very important and cultural figure, and he lived outrageously and daringly, and he was a disrupter,” he said. “And I think his life was opera… I remember being so proud and excited when he did that interview in theAdvocate, because, at the time, there wasn’t really a lot of people who were brave enough to live their life in the open. I was very emotional shooting it, as we all were.”
Murphy’s inspiration for the series was two-fold: Besides his love of Versace, he also wanted to explore the cultural context in which his murder took place. As EP Brad Simpson mentioned, Versace was killed just three months after Ellen DeGeneres came out.
“Nobody was out. There were no out celebrities,” Simpson said. “There was Elton John. There were no out fashion designers. You know, Versace had given an interview with his lover, and chosen to live openly as a gay man, and that was part of the reason why he was targeted and killed. Andrew Cunanan was a serial killer who killed other gay men.”
The exploration of Cunanan’s motives are a huge part of The Assassination of Gianni Versace, something Murphy believes hasn’t been touched on yet. Cunanan was a 27-year-old hustler who had relationships with wealthy older men. Those who knew him describe his desire for status symbols—lavish houses, fine clothes, vacations. But his access to the men who could provide these luxuries was limited and eventually, he began a killing spree, murdering five gay men across the U.S.
“We pay tribute to all of the victims that are in many ways forgotten and not talked about,” Murphy said. “And I think having episodes that center on their lives and how they were taken too soon is important.”
Cunanan’s other victims include his ex-lover David Madson, Chicago real estate developer Lee Miglin, friend Jeffrey Trail, and cemetery caretaker William Reese. The murders of Trail and Miglin were particularly violent—Trail was beaten to death with a claw hammer, and 72-year-old Miglin was stabbed more than 20 times with a screwdriver, his throat sawed open with a hacksaw.
“Nobody’s really, sort of, traced the Andrew Cunanan of it all that I think Darren does so brilliantly,” Murphy said. “The pain that he brings to that, and why and answer why did he do it. Was he a madman or was he a victim of the times? And I think the answer is, sort of, both. And both things we examine in the show.”
Criss met with dozens of people who knew Cunanan at different points in his life, all of whom describe him very differently.
“There’s a lot left a lot of blanks to fill in, which has been a very interesting ride,” he explained. “Andrew was so many different personalities to so many different people,” he added. “That makes things a bit easier because we’re not just following what we would assume to be a murderous, horrible person all the time. We see him at his best; we see him at his worst; we see him at his most charming; we see him at his most hurt.”
Screenwriter Tom Rob Smith penned all 10 episodes, largely based on Maureen Orth’s 2000 true crime book Vulgar Favors. He said he wanted to connect any similarities Cunanan and Versace had, like their interest in living large. But of course, Versace’s career provided for him in a way that was out of Cunanan’s grasp.
“It’s much closer to a story of radicalization than a typical serial killer,” Smith said. “I mean, he killed five people… Technically, he went on a spree. But if you go back a year from most serial killers, they’re committing crimes of one description or another, like assault or arson. There are these signals. With Andrew Cunanan, you go back a year and he’s in a million-dollar condo in La Jolla talking about politics or art, and charming people. How do you get from that person in that condo to someone who can attack someone with a hammer and brutally kill them?”
Smith said it was important for him to present Cunanan “not just someone who is intrinsically monstrous, but who, has similarities to Versace from the outset” and explore “why his footsteps go in one direction and Versace’s go in a completely different direction.”
But don’t expect the series to be a pity party for Versace’s killer.
“It’s about the choices you make,” said Smith. “We’re tracking those choices and seeing how society impacted them, and how he chose various things and the people around him. You’re taking a murder that we all know… and you’re taking it apart and going back to the very nuts and bolts [of it.]”
For Murphy and the other producers, The Assassination of Gianni Versace is a larger story than just a celebrity murder. It’s about being out of the closet in 1990s America.
“I think it’s more than why [Versace] was killed. It was sort of why it was allowed to happen,” Murphy said. “I think the thing about American Crime Story is that we’re not just doing a crime. We’re trying to sort of talk about a crime within a social idea. Versace, who was the last victim, really did not have to die. Part of the thing that we talk about in the show is one of the reasons Andrew Cunanan was able to make his way across the country and pick off these victims, many of whom were gay, was because of the homophobia at the time.”
He recalled how police in Miami refused to put up wanted posters for Cunanan even though they knew Cunanan was a major suspect and likely headed toward the city. “I thought that that was a really interesting thing to examine,” Murphy added, “particularly with the president we have now and the world that we live in.”
Ryan Murphy on why FX’s Gianni Versace ‘Crime Story’ is important to him
LOS ANGELES — Gianni Versace is the murder victim in the next edition of FX’sAmerican Crime Story, but the story will extend beyond the famed fashion designer.The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, the next chapter in the Emmy-winning anthology series that opened with O.J. Simpson’s murder trial, examines the lives of Versace (Edgar Ramirez) and his killer, Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss), who shot and killed Versace outside his palatial home in Miami Beach in 1997. It premieres in January.
Cunanan, who had killed four other men across the country before shooting Versace, later killed himself.
Penelope Cruz plays Versace’s sister, Donatella, and singing star Ricky Martin plays Antonio D’Amico, the Italian designer’s partner.The series opens with a nearly wordless, operatic eight-minute sequence detailing the moments leading to the murder of the fashion designer, who was open about being gay at a time when many prominent gay people weren’t. The scene, shown Wednesday to the Television Critics Association, , features lush cinematography and orchestral music and was shot partly in Versace’s beautifully appointed home.
The new season, which uses Maureen Orth’s book, Vulgar Favors, as its source material, will look backward from the murder to examine the men’s lives. It also will will go beyond the crime itself to examine prevailing social attitudes, including homophobia, executive producer Ryan Murphy said.
“Versace really did not have to die,” he said. “One of the reasons Andrew Cunanan was able to make his way across the country and pick off these victims, many of whom were gay, was because of homophobia at the time, particularly within the various police organizations that refused in Miami to put up wanted posters, even though they knew Cunanan was probably headed that way.”
Murphy says the season, which features an episode focusing on the “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” military policy, remains relevant today, “particularly with the president we have and the world we live in.” After the panel, executive producer Brad Simpson noted the coincidental timing of a recent tweet in which President Trump said transgender people would not be allowed in the military.
Murphy called Versace “a very important cultural figure” and Ramirez sees the designer as a disrupter who changed fashion and attitudes. “He combined sexiness and glamour and opulence like no one has done before.”
Criss said it’s important to depict the complexity of Cunanan and not present a monster caricature. "We’re not just following what we would assume to be a murderous, horrible person all the time. We see him at his best and his worst. We really get to know him as a person.“
Considering Versace’s career, the season will look at fashion as it portrays the designer’s life, offering a bonus after the lawyer-heavy O.J. courtroom drama, Murphy said. “It was a real relief for me not to have to shoot boxy wool suits.”
A third Crime Story, centering on the devastating Hurricane Katrina that hit New Orleans in 2005, was planned to air first but is now due sometime in late 2018 or early 2019
Ryan Murphy on why FX’s Gianni Versace ‘Crime Story’ is important to him
“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” Will Detail American Homophobia In The ’90s
Yesterday, television critics got a first glimpse of the opening scene from The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story as part of the TCA Press Tour. Premiering January, the FX mini-series recounts the fashion designer’s murder in reverse—beginning with the day he was shot outside of his Miami Beach home and then unraveling the events leading up to that day across 10 episodes.
Creator Ryan Murphy was joined by screenwriter/executive producer Tom Rob Smith, EP Brad Simpson, and series stars Darren Criss, Edgar Ramirez and Ricky Martin for a panel about the series, which is still in production. Ramirez stars as Versace, who was at the height of his success when he was gunned down by Andrew Cunanan (Criss) in 1997. Martin plays his lover, Antonio D’amico, who recently expressed his distaste for the show.
“The picture of Ricky Martin holding the body in his arms is ridiculous,” D’Amico said. “Maybe it’s the director’s poetic license, but that is not how I reacted.” But during the panel, Martin revealed he’d since spoken with D’Amico.
“The first thing that came out of my mouth when he picked up the phone [was], ’I’m so happy we’re talking. And I just want you to know that this is treated with utmost respect,‘” Martin said at the panel. “But more than anything, there is a level of injustice with this story.”
“I told him that ’I will make sure that people fall in love with your relationship with Gianni,” the out singer added. “That is what I’m here for. I really want them to see the beauty and the connection that you guys had.’ And he was extremely happy about it.”
Like all Murphy productions, painstaking detail was put into The Assassination of Gianni Versace, with scenes shot in Versace’s home, Casa Casuarina, now a hotel.
“I was very emotional shooting it, as we all were,” Murphy said. “I mean, Darren and I were, and Ricky. The assassination was important and tough to shoot, and the crew was crying, and we were very emotional doing it. We shot exactly on the exact step where he died.”
Production designer Judy Becker (Carol) was also able to recreate the home and Versace’s design studio/office on the Fox studio lot.
“It is tiny things I love,” said Murphy, who placed Versace’s favorite orchid on a table as a tribute. “There was an ashtray that was actually made that year that he designed that Edgar snatches the keys out of. I really loved hunting those things down and finding them as a tribute to that character.”
Murphy has long been a fan of Versace, whom he called a fearless designer and an inspiration for being out when even fashion designers seldom did.
“I was always very moved by him. He was a very important and cultural figure, and he lived outrageously and daringly, and he was a disrupter,” he said. “And I think his life was opera… I remember being so proud and excited when he did that interview in theAdvocate, because, at the time, there wasn’t really a lot of people who were brave enough to live their life in the open. I was very emotional shooting it, as we all were.”
Murphy’s inspiration for the series was two-fold: Besides his love of Versace, he also wanted to explore the cultural context in which his murder took place. As EP Brad Simpson mentioned, Versace was killed just three months after Ellen DeGeneres came out.
“Nobody was out. There were no out celebrities,” Simpson said. “There was Elton John. There were no out fashion designers. You know, Versace had given an interview with his lover, and chosen to live openly as a gay man, and that was part of the reason why he was targeted and killed. Andrew Cunanan was a serial killer who killed other gay men.”
The exploration of Cunanan’s motives are a huge part of The Assassination of Gianni Versace, something Murphy believes hasn’t been touched on yet. Cunanan was a 27-year-old hustler who had relationships with wealthy older men. Those who knew him describe his desire for status symbols—lavish houses, fine clothes, vacations. But his access to the men who could provide these luxuries was limited and eventually, he began a killing spree, murdering five gay men across the U.S.
“We pay tribute to all of the victims that are in many ways forgotten and not talked about,” Murphy said. “And I think having episodes that center on their lives and how they were taken too soon is important.”
Cunanan’s other victims include his ex-lover David Madson, Chicago real estate developer Lee Miglin, friend Jeffrey Trail, and cemetery caretaker William Reese. The murders of Trail and Miglin were particularly violent—Trail was beaten to death with a claw hammer, and 72-year-old Miglin was stabbed more than 20 times with a screwdriver, his throat sawed open with a hacksaw.
“Nobody’s really, sort of, traced the Andrew Cunanan of it all that I think Darren does so brilliantly,” Murphy said. “The pain that he brings to that, and why and answer why did he do it. Was he a madman or was he a victim of the times? And I think the answer is, sort of, both. And both things we examine in the show.”
Criss met with dozens of people who knew Cunanan at different points in his life, all of whom describe him very differently.
“There’s a lot left a lot of blanks to fill in, which has been a very interesting ride,” he explained. “Andrew was so many different personalities to so many different people,” he added. “That makes things a bit easier because we’re not just following what we would assume to be a murderous, horrible person all the time. We see him at his best; we see him at his worst; we see him at his most charming; we see him at his most hurt.”
Screenwriter Tom Rob Smith penned all 10 episodes, largely based on Maureen Orth’s 2000 true crime book Vulgar Favors. He said he wanted to connect any similarities Cunanan and Versace had, like their interest in living large. But of course, Versace’s career provided for him in a way that was out of Cunanan’s grasp.
“It’s much closer to a story of radicalization than a typical serial killer,” Smith said. “I mean, he killed five people… Technically, he went on a spree. But if you go back a year from most serial killers, they’re committing crimes of one description or another, like assault or arson. There are these signals. With Andrew Cunanan, you go back a year and he’s in a million-dollar condo in La Jolla talking about politics or art, and charming people. How do you get from that person in that condo to someone who can attack someone with a hammer and brutally kill them?”
Smith said it was important for him to present Cunanan “not just someone who is intrinsically monstrous, but who, has similarities to Versace from the outset” and explore “why his footsteps go in one direction and Versace’s go in a completely different direction.”
But don’t expect the series to be a pity party for Versace’s killer.
“It’s about the choices you make,” said Smith. “We’re tracking those choices and seeing how society impacted them, and how he chose various things and the people around him. You’re taking a murder that we all know… and you’re taking it apart and going back to the very nuts and bolts [of it.]”
For Murphy and the other producers, The Assassination of Gianni Versace is a larger story than just a celebrity murder. It’s about being out of the closet in 1990s America.
“I think it’s more than why [Versace] was killed. It was sort of why it was allowed to happen,” Murphy said. “I think the thing about American Crime Story is that we’re not just doing a crime. We’re trying to sort of talk about a crime within a social idea. Versace, who was the last victim, really did not have to die. Part of the thing that we talk about in the show is one of the reasons Andrew Cunanan was able to make his way across the country and pick off these victims, many of whom were gay, was because of the homophobia at the time.”
He recalled how police in Miami refused to put up wanted posters for Cunanan even though they knew Cunanan was a major suspect and likely headed toward the city. “I thought that that was a really interesting thing to examine,” Murphy added, “particularly with the president we have now and the world that we live in.”
FX Reveals ‘American Crime Story: Versace’ Opening Scene, Ryan Murphy Dishes on Show’s ‘Political Overtones’
*SPOILER WARNING! – Article has description of the first 9 mins of the first scene of ACS Versace.*
Ryan Murphy is bring the harrowing 1997 murder of fashion icon Gianni Versace to the screen in the upcoming season of American Crime Story, and FX revealed the opening minutes of the premiere episode at the Television Critics Association press tour on Wednesday.
SPOILERS
The first episode starts off with a title card that reads July 15, 1997, the morning of Versace’s murder. The legendary fashion designer (played by Edgar Ramirez) wakes up in bed and walks out onto the balcony of his home in Miami Beach, Florida.Meanwhile, serial killer Andrew Cunanan (played by Darren Criss) sits on the beach with a book featuring Versace on the cover, as he pulls a gun out of his backpack. Struggling with some internal conflict, Cunanan walks into the surf and screams at the sky.
In his home, Versace takes some morning medication, changes into a black shirt and some light pants, and heads out into the city, walking to a newsstand to buy copies of Vogue and Vanity Fair (which features Princess Diana, who had not yet been killed, on the cover). As he goes about his day, Cunanan is throwing up in a bathroom.
The tension mounts as Versace returns home and walks up his steps – shot on location where the real Versace was actually killed. As he opens the gate to his opulent estate, Cunanan runs at him, gun drawn, and fires off a round. The first shot misses, but the second doesn’t, and as the murder occurs, the episode cuts to the show’s official title card – The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.
END OF SPOILERSSpeaking with reporters at TCA on Wednesday, Murphy opened up about why the show chose to use the word “assassination” in the title, as opposed to murder or homicide, and the producer explained that they chose it for its “political overtones.”
“It denotes somebody who’s taking the life of somebody else to make a point. That’s exactly what Andrew Cunanan did and what he was trying to do and that’s explored in the show,” Murphy shared. “The interesting thing that we’re doing with this show is we’re telling the story backwards. The first episode deals with the literal murder or assassination itself and then we tell the story in reverse, so we get into how he had that motive and why he wanted to do what he wanted to do.”
For Murphy, delving into the nuances of Versace’s death and Cunanan’s motivations and murder spree was vitally important to elevate the series above just retelling the details surrounding the event. The show’s true intent is to examine the pervasive political climate of the 1990s that allowed the crime to happen.
“More than why [Versace] was killed, it’s [about] why it was allowed to happen,” Murphy said. “The thing about American Crime Story is that we’re not just doing a crime, we’re trying to talk about a crime within a social idea… Versace, who was the last victim, really did not have to die.”
Cunanan was responsible for at least five other murders in the months leading up to shooting Versace. He committed suicide a week later.
“Part of the thing that we talk about in the show is one of the reasons Andrew Cunanan was able to make his way across the country and pick off these victims, many of whom were gay, was because a homophobia at the time,” he continued. “So we thought that that was a really interesting thing to examine, to look at again, particularly with the president we have and the world that we live in.”
Murphy explained that one episode of the upcoming season is dedicated to the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which was enacted under President Bill Clinton and generated a lot of controversy at the time.
“I just thought it was topical and really social and about something, which I think is this show at its best,” Murphy added.
Before the first episode of the show even aired, it was already facing push-back from some of the real-life people involved – chiefly Antonio D’Amico, Versace’s lover, who denounced the mini-series when photos of the cast were first leaked online.
However, Murphy explained that he’s subsequently reached out to D’Amico, as has Ricky Martin, who plays him in the series.
“Ricky spoke to him today and he was very great and excited to talk to Ricky,” Murphy said, adding that it’s “very hard to judge anything that you’re watching based on a paparazzi photograph, which is apparently what his judgment was about.”
“When you’re doing a show like this or a show like [The People v. O.J. Simpson], you’re not really doing a documentary, you’re doing a docu-drama. So there are always certain things that you’ll take liberties with,” Murphy explained. “You have to be respectful but you also have to make it your own.”
“Our version of the show is based on a book that Maureen Orth wrote,” Murphy said, referring to the extensively researched true crime tome Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History, first published in 1999. “She has a definite point of view in that book. We’re true to that point of view.”
Executive Producer Brad Simpson reiterated Murphy’s point, explaining that the series is “really about the victims.”
“We examine the victims [on this show],” Simpson said. “In many ways we’re trying to bring to life and celebrate the lives of these people that Andrew Cunanan snuffed out.”
Murphy later opened up about the show’s stellar cast – which also includes Penelope Cruz as Donatella Versace, Max Greenfield as Santo Versace, and Finn Wittrock and Jeffrey Trail, one of Cunanan’s earlier victims – and marveled, “The thing that’s amazing about this cast is they were all of our first choices.”
Reflecting on casting Ramirez as Versace, Murphy said he was “the only one” he ever considered.
“I had many meetings with Edgar. I was literally like, ‘I’m not going to let you say no. I just know that you are that character,’” he shared. “I’ve seen a lot of his work and I think his previous work is incredibly soulful and Edgar has a great soul and a great mystery. You cannot deny the physical appearance and the resemblance, which is startling.”
Ramirez, who joined the cast and crew at the TCA panel, had nothing but praise for Murphy and for what the show has managed to accomplish.
“For the first time he combined sexiness and glamour and opulence like no one had done before,” the Gold star explained. “It’s very interesting how the story captures an amazing story but also captures the spirit of the time.”
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story will premiere in January 2018 on FX.
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story – TCA Tweets Masterpost [Part 2]
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story – TCA Tweets Masterpost [Part 1]
edgarramirez25: Like a deer caught in the headlights • 🇻🇪Cómo guacharo encandilado…otra vez #ACSVersace #TCA17
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