Question: I was happy for The Americans to be recognized for all-around effort, though I still hated the finale. Also, Darren Criss certainly deserved it for playing Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, but Penelope Cruz and (worse yet) Ricky Martin for supporting roles in the limited series category—they were hardly in it—prove once again that there are too many categories. — JV
Matt Roush: There may be too many Emmy categories, but rewarding deserving supporting players in limited series/movies aren’t part of the problem. And in this case, I’d have to disagree. Cruz as Donatella made quite an impression (though I’m rooting for either Judith Light, also from Versace, or Meritt Wever in Godless), and Ricky Martin’s portrayal of Versace’s widowed mate was poignant even in just his few scenes, which is why the supporting category exists. (In that category, I’m expecting Jeff Daniels to win as the villain of Godless, although Ramirez as Versace and especially Finn Wittrock as the closeted military man in Versace were also strong.)
Question: Now that Season 2 of FX’s American Crime Story has concluded, it is more than apparent that Ryan Murphy didn’t have enough material about Versace to cover the entire season, let alone one episode. If he was to delete the scenes about Andrew Cunanan and just focus on Versace’s life and tragic death. the show would be much less watchable to me. Most of the parts dealing with Gianni Versace, his sister and lover were auite dull. Conversely the parts (thankfully the vast majority of the series) dealing with Andrew Cunanan were spectacular and highly addictive. Overall, I grade the series an A- or 4 and a half out of 5. — Fred
Matt Roush: My magazine review (covering the first eight of nine episodes) gave the series four out of five stars, so we’re pretty much on the same page. (I’d give the remarkable Darren Criss as Cunanan five stars or more.) We’ve covered some of this ground before, but now that the entire series has aired, I feel I need to point out that the title aside (The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story), the psychopathy of Andrew Cunanan was always the primary focus of this project, but it would never have been made—and Cunanan would have been a footnote in the annals of true crime—if he hadn’t selected this famous, unwitting target. Producing a biography of Gianni Versace was never this series’ intent, and while those scenes certainly lacked the drama and intensity of Cunanan’s delusional reign of terror, I appreciated the contrast between the openly gay man who earned his fame and was loved, and the twisted, tormented poseur who used his sexuality for the most debased purposes. I also was quite moved in the final episode by the tragedy of Ricky Martin’s character, the widowed Antonio, who even in a supposedly progressive industry like fashion was sidelined by the family (and, less surprisingly, shunned by a priest at the funeral).
A selective critical checklist of notable Wednesday TV:
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (10/9c, FX): The “making of a psychopath” flashbacks are over, and in the finale of this gripping docudrama, a desperately alone and increasingly trapped Andrew Cunanan (the electrifying Darren Criss) must come to grips with his murderous actions, even while losing his grip. The tragedy doesn’t end there, as the series’ subtext of cultural homophobia leaves the late Versace’s widowed lover (Ricky Martin) bereft of comfort, shelter and emotional support.
American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace (10/9c, FX): The penultimate episode of the gripping psychological crime drama offers insights into the formative years of future designer Versace, nurtured in a homophobic Italian culture by a mother who advises, “Success only comes with hard work—and it’s never easy.” This is contrasted with the coddled, spoiled upbringing of Versace’s future murderer, Andrew Cunanan, whose conman dad coddles the boy to believe he’s special until the family’s delusional house of cards collapses. By then it’s too late. Living a lie comes way too naturally to Andrew (Darren Criss). When his BFF Lizzie (Annaleigh Ashford) confesses, “I’m an imposter,” Andrew responds, “All the best people are.” Also the worst.
Fox’s Thursday Football Fallout, and Confusing Versace Timeline
Question: […] Also, I have been watching the Andrew Cun—er, I mean Gianni Versace saga on FX’s American Crime Story, and I believe they made a total error in telling the story backwards. Is this an example of artistic license or what? I just find it totally confusing. — JV
Matt Roush: […] As for The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, which several have noted is in most respects The Andrew Cunanan Story (and how good is Darren Criss as this psycho sociopath!), the reverse-time narrative was clearly a creative choice. Maybe because when I reviewed the series I watched all but the last episode in a mini-binge over a few days, I found myself becoming engrossed in this unusual way of telling the story. I expect FX and Ryan Murphy to take risks, and telling Cunanan’s story in a more linear way—start with the murder, shift to “XX years earlier” and proceed in order—would be an awfully ordinary approach. By showing us his terrible crimes, and then revealing how these relationships began is in some ways even more unsettling, although I understand how it can be confusing. FX has yet to release to critics the final hour (airing March 21), which presumably circles back to the aftermath of the Versace murder and the end of Cunanan’s reign of terror. All told, although this doesn’t have quite the impact of the O.J. miniseries, this is still an impressively told crime story.
AMERICAN CRIME STORY Airs Wednesdays, 10/9c, FX Ever since Ryan Murphy incorporated Mark Ronson’s music into Nip/Tuck, I’ve been a fan of his soundtrack picks. And this season’s American Crime Story has some killer selections. Whether its Remo Giazotto’s heartbreaking “Adagio in G Minor for Violin Strings and Organ” playing over the major murder scene or Philip Bailey and Phil Collins’s “Easy Lover” pumping as Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss) works his escort gig, each song is pitch-perfect. —Eric Andersson, Staff Editor
Question: We’re now more than halfway through the highly emotional second season of FX’s American Crime Storyanthology, The Assassination of Gianni Versace, and the least intriguing parts are the scenes (thankfully just a couple this week) that feature Versace! The third and fourth episodes didn’t have anything to do with Versace and they were the strongest episodes to date. It’s so ironic that the title of this extremely compelling series features the name Versace. — Fred
Matt Roush: And yet without the high-profile slaying of the celebrated designer, which catapulted the deranged Andrew Cunanan onto the front pages while also marking the end of his reign of terror, this fascinating and unsettling docudrama almost surely wouldn’t exist. Calling the series “The Madness of Andrew Cunanan,” while more appropriate, wouldn’t have the same ring. Addressing your criticism, I don’t mind the Versace scenes. Edgar Ramirez is doing a fine job working on a much smaller canvas to depict certain turning points in Versace’s life, including most recently his coming out, which made an interesting parallel to the equally-ill fated Navy officer played by Finn Wittrock, who gave his interview about gays in the military to CBS News from the shadows. The series seems to be making the point that while Versace made a name for himself, trying to live openly and honestly, the man who would end his life was doing anything but, existing in a toxic world of narcissistic delusion. That’s a pretty powerful contrast.
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (10/9c, FX): OK, this may not be the happiest way to spend an hour of Valentine’s Day night, but you won’t find a series more gripping than Ryan Murphy’s disturbing psychological portrait of murderer Andrew Cunanan (a stunning Darren Criss). As the storyline continues to go back in time, this week’s episode contrasts the proud coming out of designer Gianni Versace (Edgar Ramirez) in the pages of The Advocate in 1995 with the sad history of one of Cunanan’s other victims: closeted Naval officer Jeffrey Trail (a heartbreaking Finn Wittrock).
Actors need to show their range—and sometimes, that means a total role reversal between TV projects.
We’re talking stars like Darren Criss, who went from sweet Glee prep school crooner to diabolical serial killer in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. And he’s not alone!
From a hero to a villain, normal to crazy, and beloved to despised, we’ve rounded up 10 actors and actresses who have undergone drastic changes from one character to the next. Click through the gallery above to explore these (often jarring) changes.
Darren Criss: Glee (2009) to American Crime Story: Versace (2018)
From musicals to murder. From 2009 to 2015, Criss portrayed Blaine Anderson in Glee, a charismatic, gay high school student who joins the glee club. Now, Criss is serial killer Andrew Cunanan on Assassination of Gianni Versace, a (albeit creepy) role that has gained him critical acclaim.
Question: Wow, that was an extremely intriguing episode of FX’s American Crime Story last night! I found it superior to the previous installments, which is ironic, because this episode didn’t feature Versace at all. (Hence, I left The Assassination of Gianni Versace off the title). I admit it is sometimes difficult to watch and enjoy, because the lead character is absolutely one of the most evil characters I have ever watched. I realize he is severely demented, but he takes his violent acts to another level.
Judith Light will almost surely receive well-deserved award nominations. What a fantastic performance! I admired her from way back in the ’80s when she was on the ABC sitcom Who’s The Boss? with Tony Danza. Since then she has portrayed countless compelling characters flawlessly. Thank you for recommending this great series. — FJ
Matt Roush: I was impressed in this episode by both Judith Light and Mike Ferrell (as her doomed, closeted husband, a real change of pace), and when I screened the series—FX made all but the finale available in advance—this was the hour that really made me sit up and take notice, as it became clear how Andrew Cunanan’s crimes were going to be presented. First the crime, then as the episodes unfold in reverse time, the backstory. (It’s even darker in the next episode when we meet two of his younger victims in relationships already in progress. All becomes clearer later, and man, is it tragic.) The Versace angle doesn’t entirely go away, because we revisit the designer (Edgar Ramirez) in parallel storylines as he is making a name for himself while Cunanan, his future assassin, is pretending to be who he’s not in a deadly cycle of narcissistic delusion. Darren Criss may be hard to watch when Cunanan is at his worst, but it’s an electrifying performance.
ACS news 