Emmy season kicks off with FX hosting the cast and crew of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story at the Director’s Guild of America with Darren Criss, Ricky Martin and Edgar Ramirez in attendance.
The gold Oscar dust has barely settled in Hollywood, but the Emmy campaigning is in full swing. Monday night, the cast and crew of FX’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story came out to attend a screening of the final episode of the series. Darren Criss, Edgar Ramirez, Ricky Martin, Cody Fern, Max Greenfield, Judith Light, Jon Jon Briones, executive producer Brad Simpson, writer Tom Rob Smith, and Maureen Orth discussed working on the show and the challenges after the episode aired.
Hosted by Entertainment Weekly’s Kristen Baldwin, Criss who plays serial killer talked about the hardest scene for him to shoot. Criss said that it was easy to shoot the violent scenes, but what was difficult was shooting the scenes with Mike Farrell who plays realtor and millionaire Lee Miglin. “ It’s easy to get angry. But what is truly twisted and heartbreaking is looking into Mike Farrell’s eyes playing this deeply closeted man who loves his wife, and is truly a good man who is fighting a demon he can’t escape. Then me having to drive the car as somebody waging psychological warfare on this person.” He continued, “When I would leave those scenes, I’d feel like, Ugh”. I think people on set maybe thought it was because I was getting intimate with Mike Farrell, but it wasn’t that, it was having to penetrate a man’s soul who was trying so desperately to keep it together.”
Playing Versace’s longtime partner and lover, Antonio D’Amico was personal for Ricky Martin. He told the crowd, “it was very painful to be quite honest. When I was in the closet, I made a lot of my partners lie, so I was reliving that.” Martin took a moment to thank the cast, crew and creator/Executive Producer Ryan Murphy for the chance to tell the story.
Actress Judith Light who plays Marilyn Miglin on the show added the the show talks about homophobia in the 90’s but it served as a reminder that we are still dealing with homophobia and “we are still not finished with it today.”
Simpson talked about the final episode which he said was the “hardest to figure out.” He added, “We had fragments and we had to put them together, but we didn’t have a plan on how to put them together.” The episode deals with the funeral of Versace, but also the manhunt for Cunanan coming to an end after the FBI close in on him.
Baldwin talked to the panel about their clothing. Longtime collaborator Lou Eyrich worked with Murphy once again on the extravagant costumes and wardrobe. Ramirez who plays the designer told the Television Academy audience that he kept the Medusa keychain used in the first episode. Criss joked he was wearing Cunanan’s pink speedos and Martin joked that he wanted the angel wings seen in the club scenes.
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story airs 3/21 10pm ET on FX.
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Maybe Edgar Ramirez rates higher on the international scene and in the awards arena. He’s a SAG, Golden Globe and Emmy nominee for his work on ”Carlos” (2010), and he won a French Cesar. Plus, of course, Ramirez IS playing the title character of ”The Assassination of Gianni Versace.”
But I agree. Only Criss deserves to be up for Leading. Everyone else should be in Supporting, including Ramirez and Ricky Martin. In fact, ”Versace” could fill up the Supporting Actor category alone: Ramirez, Martin, Cody Fern, Finn Wittrock and Jon Jon Briones. Unlikely as that would be, that would still leave out Mike Farrell and Max Greenfield.
The title of this miniseries was problematic. Obviously, they wanted Versace in it, because it’s the big name. Who would’ve tuned in for ”The Andrew Cunanan Story”? But having ”Versace” in the title also set up expectations that it might’ve been more about the celebrity designer, rather than an exploration of the circumstances that spawned his killer. Ryan Murphy said he didn’t want to put Cunanan’s name in the title because he didn’t want to glorify him. But there are those who feel that devoting that much airtime to Cunanan already does that. Tough call!
Wayman–a lot of buzz for Versace, a lot for The Looming Tower, a dribble for The Alienist (which is superb) and some inexplicable support for Showtime’s Twin Peaks–which is my view was pretty bad. One thing I don’t understand is why Edgar Martinez got top billing in the Versace credits when Darren Criss’ part is 5 times bigger???
This show was a total shocker to me, in a way I did not expect. I absolutely loved it, and honestly – to me, it was more impressive than OJ. The way they introduced all of these mini stories of Cunanan’s victims through a backwards narrative structure was just GENIUS. There was so much to tell. The music, cinematography, writing (love Tom Rob Smith from London Spy)…not to mention the acting. I think it’s the most stacked TV cast in recent years. First of all, Darren Criss’s heartbreaking, multi-dimensional, layered turn as Cunanan is a revelation. If he doesn’t win the Emmy, it will be due to Pacino’s name power. Not to mention the other phenomenal performances – Judith Light, Jon Jon Briones (he was out-of-this-world), Cody Fern, Finn Wittrock, Joanna Adler, and Penelope Cruz. I was just not expecting to be this enthralled, and the fact that critics have essentially ignored it is absolutely mindblowing.
The cast has been full of surprises. Who could’ve guessed that the sweet gay heartthrob of ”Glee” could turn around and be the drained and devastated Cunanan at the end of his rope? In an early episode, I was impressed the actor who played Ronnie, a junkie with HIV who befriends Andrew, only to be shocked he was played by an unrecognizable Max Greenfield (Schmidt on ”New Girl”).
The Huffington Post: ‘Versace’ is the crown jewel of Ryan Murphy’s career
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/assassination-of-gianni-versace-is-the-best-ryan-murphy-review_us_5ab26202e4b054d118dec188
One of the most breathtaking and horrifying and brilliant series I’ve ever seen on TV. Major kudos to all involved.
The acting has just been breathtaking. Obviously Darren Criss, Cody Fern and Finn Wittrock were amazing supporting players, and my personal favorite Judith Light. Her performance in “A Random Killing” eclipsed what other actresses do in an entire SEASON of television.
I barely remember anything about the killing of Versace, but FX’s miniseries has been riveting and rewarding in so many ways. I had no idea about the backstory of Andrew Cunanan or his various victims, and how self-loathing and homophobia played a role in each of their lives. This last episode, ”Creator/Destroyer,” was directed by Matt Bomer, and was especially insightful in depicting Cunanan’s abusive, swindling stockbroker of a father, and how he spoiled his son and helped set the template for a psychopathic and damaged young man. The showdown between the father and his son, who finally realizes that his doting dad has been a deadbeat and liar all along, was shattering. Darren Criss gives an Emmy-caliber tour de force, and he’s been surrounded by an equally award-worthy cast, notably Cody Fern and Jon Jon Briones. Kudos to Tom Rob Smith on turning Maureen Orth’s book into an incredible character study of a killer.