Lady Gaga brought her star power to London on Tuesday for the premiere of the drama “House of Gucci,” her second major film role, for which she said she stayed in character for nine months to play the wife of a murdered heir to the Italian fashion dynasty.
Based on the book of the same name and directed by Ridley Scott, the film features an all-star cast, including Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jared Leto, Salma Hayek and Jeremy Irons, in an account of the famous murder case. which shocked Italy and its fashion industry in the 1990s.
With an Italian accent, Gaga plays Patrizia Reggiani, who married heir Maurizio Gucci in 1972. They divorced in 1994.
A year later, Maurizio was shot dead by a hitman in front of his Milan office. Reggiani spent 18 years in jail for orchestrating her murder and was released in 2016.
When asked about reports that she had been in character for 18 months, Gaga said on the red carpet: “I really feel in a way that my process has become somewhat sensational, but I do not like to lie about my work and my process. So what I’m going to say is this: I’m a romantic when it comes to art.”
“I had a romantic relationship with my character, Patrizia. I had a romantic relationship with the script and I jumped headlong into this world because she is nothing like me. (...) I don’t know where 18 months came from. Nine months, yes, but twice as long, I don’t know.”
The role follows Gaga’s acclaimed performance in “A Star Is Born,” for which she won an Oscar for Best Original Song “Shallow” and a Best Actress nomination.
Leto plays Paolo Gucci, Maurizio’s cousin, in the film and is completely unrecognizable.
“The makeup and hairstyle took about six hours,” she told Reuters, adding that she had been inspired by current Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele, among others, for her accent. “When you hear the voice, you can hear Alessandro there too,” he said.
“House of Gucci” begins its theatrical release on November 24.— Reuters
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
