Tag: vanity fair

Darren Criss on Playing Andrew Cunanan In The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story

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In 1997, I read a newspaper article about a 27-year-old gay man from a posh private school in La Jolla, California, who was on the lam, wanted for four murders in three states. Vanity Fairassigned me to profile him, and the issue with my story in it was almost at the printer when news broke that Andrew Cunanan, the man I’d been tracking, had gunned down the fashion designer Gianni Versace on the steps of his Miami Beach mansion. Suddenly, Cunanan—and the spectacularly failed manhunt for him, which ended with his suicide eight days after Versace’s murder—was a national obsession, and I re-wrote my article, then expanded it into a book, Vulgar Favors: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. Both are now, in turn, the basis of Ryan Murphy’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, set to premiere on FX on January 17.

Cunanan, who was driven to his murderous deeds by the desire for fame and revenge, would have relished being portrayed by Darren Criss, who shares his striking good looks, his outgoing charm, and his half-Filipino heritage. But the similarities end there, obviously, and Criss is empathetic enough to understand that, for all its juicy details, the Versace saga is an epic story of real-life suffering. “My heart is really sensitive to the people who experienced something so horrible that I’m trying to breathe life into,” says Criss, 30, who grew up in the Bay Area and previously worked with Murphy on Glee and American Horror Story series will be told in reverse, tracing Cunanan’s path backward from the Versace murder, through his previous killings, all the way to his childhood growing up as the gifted and spoiled son of an accused-embezzler father and a victimized, mentally ill mother. Versace’s lush life contrasts with Cunanan’s descent into drugs, and his double life in the gay demimonde and in the closeted upper class.

Cunanan, Criss says, was “someone who had the potential to do so much more. How does that person become synonymous with something so sad, violent, or scary?” He adds, “It’s a story about the have and have-not—the ultimate creator and the ultimate destroyer.”

Darren Criss on Playing Andrew Cunanan In The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story

Andrew Cunanan and the Assassination of Gianni Versace, Revisited

When Andrew Cunanan gunned down Gianni Versace on the steps of his Miami Beach mansion on the morning of July 15, 1997, I had just gone through the final fact-checking of a long piece I had written for Vanity Fair on the 27-year-old spree killer, still at large after taking his fifth, and most famous, victim. This was the pre-Google era, when shoe leather and landline phones were still the predominant tools of journalism. My two months of reporting had taken me to San Diego, San Francisco, Chicago, and Minneapolis; the story was ready to be sent to the printer.

What had originally caught my interest was this handsome, young murder suspect who reportedly had a genius I.Q., friends everywhere, and graduated from a prestigious private school in La Jolla, California. I had never reported a murder story before—so unraveling Cunanan’s double, triple life with the help of dozens of his friends and associates, who led me through his haunts in the Hillcrest area of San Diego, then and now a gay enclave, and beyond, was fascinating. My first night in San Diego, for example, started at a male wet T-shirt (and below) contest and ended at a drag show.

Cunanan, a witty, lazy, narcissistic con artist and perpetual liar, sometimes a kept boy, sometimes a drug dealer, knew the most refined closeted corners of wealth from San Diego to San Francisco just as well as he knew the roughest leather bars. In the era of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, he was a connector for young, closeted military officers stationed in San Diego. His first victim, Jeff Trail, in fact, was an Annapolis graduate and once his best friend.

I knew Cunanan followed Versace’s career, just as I knew he was an avid reader of Vanity Fair. But until the murder, and my subsequent reporting—which became the book, Vulgar Favors: the Assassination of Gianni Versace, on which the upcoming season of FX’s American Crime Story is based—I was unaware of just how deep his antipathy and anger were that Versace was a famous gay icon and he was not. Yet in 1997, Versace—who pioneered the use of supermodels such as Naomi Campbell and Carla Bruni and the courting of celebrities to sit in the front rows of his shows, which were more like rock events—was more middle-of-the-pack couturier than the household name he’d always dreamed of becoming. It took his murder, the infamous blood stains on the steps of his Miami villa, and, perhaps most of all, Princess Diana attending his funeral in Milan with Elton John, to change all that.

Versace’s killing meant calling the piece back, taking it apart on an impossible deadline and trying to stay ahead of what rapidly became the No.1 story in the country. The media circus was on; in this pre-social-media time, Cunanan’s murder spree was an early harbinger of someone willing to do anything—perhaps even to kill—to become famous. I was the one who broke the news the next morning on the Today show, from the D.C. airport on my way to Miami, that Cunanan and Versace had indeed met before, when Versace had been in San Francisco to design costumes for an opera there. Cunanan’s roommate had mentioned it. When I landed in Miami less than three hours later, 14 TV crews were lined up waiting to interview me.

Eight days after Versace’s murder, after the largest failed manhunt in U.S. history at the time, Cunanan was found on a particularly infamous blue houseboat with a gun in his hand and a bullet in his head. (Chillingly, the bullet that Cunanan put through his own skull traveled exactly the same trajectory as the bullet he put through Versace’s brain.) Immediately after Versace’s murder, spooked celebrities like Sylvester Stallone and Madonna,who had invested in property in South Beach, stayed away and put their places up for sale, as did the Versaces. Casa Casuarina is now a boutique hotel renting rooms for $1,000 a night. The houseboat mysteriously sunk five months after Cunanan was found; its shady owners disappeared to Germany.

It’s hard to underestimate the influence that the O.J. Simpson trial, then still very recent history, had over the investigation. Local district attorneys and homicide detectives in several different states feared that they might botch a case based on circumstantial evidence and end up with the not-guilty verdict, causing them to be overly cautious and lose valuable time in pursuing Cunanan. Much has changed since then. When Cunanan committed his two murders in Minneapolis, there were 11 openly gay members serving on its police force—then a liberal number. But the detective assigned to the Jeff Trail case proved to be particularly insensitive and inept. Today, the Minneapolis police chief is a lesbian. The F.B.I. that was so clueless in how it pursued Cunanan during the five weeks he was on the Most Wanted list—he hid in plain sight around South Beach before killing Versace—that it instituted a new outreach nationally to the gay community, largely in the beginning stages of realizing its social power, and is now light-years ahead in political sophistication.

But my biggest surprise was when I visited San Diego last spring for a Dateline broadcast. I went back to Flicks bar in Hillcrest, Andrew Cunanan’s favorite hangout, where he arranged many of his assignations for whatever he was peddling on any given night. Some of the regulars from his time were still regulars today, but now with paunches and wearing baggy Bermudas—hardly buffed anymore; just regular, middle-aged white guys. The new business that had moved in next door: a baby store!

What hasn’t changed much is celebrity justice. Versace’s family was allowed to cremate his body and take it back to Italy before the Miami police had a chance to do more than a cursory investigation. The police were not allowed to interview any members of the family. In Chicago, the powerful family of real-estate tycoon Lee Miglin, Cunanan’s third victim, was intent that Miglin’s murder be considered “random,” and that Miglin not be suspected as having previously crossed paths with Cunanan—sparing the family from the insinuations that would have come with such an association. The Chicago police never issued an official report.

And today’s world, of course, is by no means less sensational or filled with delusional seekers of fame. It is certainly more so. In his yearbook, Cunanan wrote about himself “après mois, le déluge”; he was voted least likely to be forgotten. In the eighth grade, he dressed as Prince Charles and had his mother bring lobster to school for a lunch date with a classmate dressed as Princess Diana. Entertainment journalists at T.C.A. last week often asked if such seemingly fantastic biographical details were true. They are. Cunanan was so filled with rage and so intent on becoming famous that he was willing to kill for it. Who knows? Today, he might have found an outlet in that anger and hate by trolling Versace on social media.

Andrew Cunanan and the Assassination of Gianni Versace, Revisited

American Crime Story: Author Maureen Orth On the “Fact-Based Reporting” of Her Book Vulgar Favors

Before Andrew Cunanan shot designer Gianni Versace on the front steps of his Miami home in July 1997, Vanity Fair contributor Maureen Orth was already steeped in the mind of the serial killer. That murder is portrayed in the upcoming FX series American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace, which is based on Orth’s book Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History. At the time of the murder, Orth had spent two months reporting for Vanity Fair on Cunanan and the events that might have led to him to kill four other people before finally targeting Versace. Even before law enforcement announced that Cunanan was a suspect, Orth and the fact checkers at Vanity Fair had a hunch they knew exactly who had pulled the trigger at Ocean Drive.

In a new interview for Vanity Fair’s American Crime Story companion podcast, Still Watching: Versace, Orth reveals that once the authorities had released Cunanan’s name, “I think I was the only person in America who understood he had met Versace before. So that’s how that all started.”

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, which premieres on FX January 17, was written by Tom Rob Smith the author of Child 44, who had previously combined crime and romance in the compulsively watchable 2015 miniseries London Spy. And while the title checks Versace, the show itself—following Orth’s lead—is more focused on the mentality of his assassin: serial killer Andrew Cunanan, played by Glee alum Darren Criss. The Versace family is where FX dishes up a The People v. O.J. Simpson-worthy dose of star power, with Penélope Cruz as Gianni’s devastated sister, Donatella Versace, and Ricky Martin playing Antonio D’Amico, a model, designer, and Gianni’s longtime partner. Thanks to the reverse timeline of the story, Édgar Ramírez, whom Orth described as the “tanned, adored idol” of the late-90s South Beach scene, also gets a chance to shine as Versace himself.

Vanity Fair critic Richard Lawson and senior writer Joanna Robinson have launched a 12-episode companion podcast, Still Watching: Versace, filled with exclusive interviews, insights, and a detailed examination of not only the series itself but the cultural impact of the 1997 crime. In Episode 2 of the podcast, Orth details the genesis of her book and the challenges of getting inside the disturbed mind of a killer. The interview was conducted early Wednesday morning, before the Versace family had specifically named Orth in its latest complaint against the FX series and its treatment of Gianni’s legacy. The Versace family has long denied a number of the points covered in Orth’s book, including both the notion that Cunanan and Versace were previously acquainted and that Versace, before he died, was sick with HIV/AIDS. “The Orth book itself is full of gossip and speculation,” the Versace family’s latest statement reads. “Orth never received any information from the Versace family, and she has no basis to make claims about the intimate personal life of Gianni Versace or other family members. Instead, in her effort to create a sensational story, she presents second-hand hearsay that is full of contradictions.”

Although Orth declined to comment directly on the Versace statement, she emphatically covered precisely the same territory when speaking with Still Watching on Wednesday morning. Detailing exactly the who, what, when, and where of how Cunanan and Versace knew each other, Orth said, “There is no doubt in my mind that those two met. That all is absolutely fact-based, on-the-record reporting.”

Orth’s main concern in seeing her book adapted was how the families of Cunanan’s victims, including his former friends Jeff Trail and David Madson, Chicago businessman Lee Miglin, and cemetery caretaker William Reese, might take it. “I didn’t want it to be sleazy and exploitive. I cared very much about the families of the victims, that they not be hurt again.” But Orth said she was “reassured” that titillation wasn’t American Crime Story’s aim.

This isn’t the first time Orth’s book has bumped up against criticism and scrutiny. In 1999 Frank Bruni of the The New York Times reviewed Orth’s book and concluded, among other things, that “the book’s journey into a sybaritic gay demimonde is a risky adventure, guaranteed to flout political correctness and court charges of homophobia, and Orth often loses her footing.” Nearly 20 years later, Orth defends herself, calling Bruni’s characterization “intellectually dishonest.” His reaction and others like it “surprised” her. “I felt, my God, I talked to over 400 people. You see how detailed the book is. I have a reputation for being an accurate reporter. I am reflecting the life Andrew lived.”

During the Still Watching discussion, Orth digs into some of the fake news on the Versace-Cunanan case that emerged at the time and is cropping up again today, including a “bizarre,” “completely false,” and “irresponsible” story involving Cunanan and Tom Cruise recently republished by The National Enquirer. But for all the facts in her book, which come from interviews with hundreds of sources, the FX American Crime Story adaptation is a dramatic series, and it takes creative license with the timeline and some of the more unknowable elements of the Cunanan case. “Yes,” Orth explains, “there are a few places where things didn’t happen at all.”

Orth’s full interview comes at the conclusion of the latest episode of Still Watching: Versace. In the first half of the episode, listen to a discussion between Robinson, Lawson, and Katey Rich, deputy editor of VF.com, on Vulgar Favors, the Versace statement, and what to expect when the FX series launches next week.

American Crime Story: Author Maureen Orth On the “Fact-Based Reporting” of Her Book Vulgar Favors

https://archive.org/download/PPY9099271466/PPY9099271466.mp3?plead=please-dont-download-this-or-our-lawyers-wont-let-us-host-audio
https://acsversace-news.tumblr.com/post/168785014854/audio_player_iframe/acsversace-news/tumblr_p1bb0n4cny1wcyxsb?audio_file=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdownload%2FPPY9099271466%2FPPY9099271466.mp3

Introducing Still Watching: Versace

Before 2017 is out, Vanity Fair critic Richard Lawson and senior writer Joanna Robinson, preview their new podcast. Still Watching: Versace will be a weekly deep dive into The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, the newest crime drama from Ryan Murphy and FX.

Penélope Cruz: «Essere Donatella (Versace)» – VanityFair.it

(Google translate under the cut)

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. ”

Penélope Cruz: «Essere Donatella (Versace)» – VanityFair.it

Edgar Ramirez Can’t Wait to Step Into Gianni Versace’s Clothes for American Crime Story

Edgar Ramírez has some designer shoes to fill. He’s been tapped to play the late fashion designer Gianni Versace in Ryan Murphy’s highly anticipated FX mini-series Versace: American Crime Story—the planned third installment of his acclaimed anthology.

The Venezuelan actor—he played Jennifer Lawrence’s husband in the drama Joy and most recently appeared with Matthew McConaughey in Gold—will star as the openly gay designer, who was tragically gunned down on the steps of his Miami Beach mansion in 1997 by serial killer Andrew Cunanan. The limited series chronicles the bizarre murder and the manhunt for Cunanan, who targeted gay men and was responsible for five murders.

“Versace’s life is an amazing story,” Ramírez told Vanity Fair at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday. “It happened 20 years ago, but it’s still very relevant with the discrimination that is happening in the world today. Ryan is very keen and very sensitive at identifying stories that have a deep connection in society. He creates shows that we can relate to in a deep way—socially and collectively. Versace won’t be an exception.”

It helps, of course, that Ramírez shares a striking resemblance to the top designer, especially after some strategic styling. “It’s really crazy, right?” he said. “I mean, there are pictures now, and it surprised me how much I look like him. We are still in the process of getting everything together, but I may change my hair to look more like him. I am in for a transformation.”

The 10-episode story begins filming in March, with a script based on the 1999 book Vulgar Favors, by Vanity Fair writer Maureen Orth. The show is expected to air in 2018, following Katrina: American Crime Story. Beyond his physical makeover, Ramírez—who was a journalist before becoming an actor—has been preparing for the role by examining old interviews on Versace. His goal is to understand both Versace’s personal life and the public perception of him, to “identify with him so I can recapture his essence and help people relate and understand who he was,” he said. “It’s about re-creating, and I hope people will see Versace through my performance. I have discovered not only was he known for glamour, festivity, sexuality, hedonism, and pleasure—he was also very family-oriented. He was way more modest and focused than people would ever imagine.”

The designer had close relationships with Princess Diana, Madonna, Elton John, and his sister, Donatella Versace. Ramírez has not yet reached out to Donatella, who took creative control over the company after her brother’s death, and would not comment on whether she will be involved with the show. He also was mum on whether Lady Gaga, Murphy’s latest American Horror Story muse, would appear in the series as Donatella, as rumors have suggested—though, Ramírez does promise, “she’s going to be an interesting character.” (Murphy himself shot down the rumors in January, noting that the series’s demanding schedule would not reconcile with Gaga’s particularly busy 2017.)

Either way, viewers can certainly look forward to seeing the opulent and unadulterated glamour of Versace’s life. Even Ramírez is thrilled to wear expensive clothes like the designer once did and spend time at Versace’s lavish mansion, Casa Casuarina, where Madonna and Whitney Houston once stayed. The mansion boasts 10 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, and a pool that is lined with 24-karat gold.

“I’m excited for the robes, and to hang out at the villa Casuarina,” said Ramírez. “It’s going to be fun!”

Edgar Ramirez Can’t Wait to Step Into Gianni Versace’s Clothes for American Crime Story