Lady Gaga studied panthers for killer House Of Gucci role
PARIS - Lady Gaga has revealed she had some animal inspiration for her murderous turn as a jilted former wife in the new movie House Of Gucci.
Her performance as Patrizia Reggiani, who had fashion heir Maurizio Gucci (played by Adam Driver) assassinated in the 1990s, is already picking up Oscar buzz.
In a press conference ahead of the film’s release in cinemas here on Dec 30, the US singer and actress revealed she turned to the animal kingdom for help in portraying each stage of Reggiani’s life.
“Earlier in her life, I was a cat, like a house cat,” Gaga said.
“In the middle of the film... I was a fox. And so I studied the way foxes hunt, and they’re actually quite playful when they hunt.
“And then I studied panthers for the end. I watched lots of videos about the way that panthers hunt. And they’re sort of seductive... they sort of seduce and then they pounce.”
Early reviews have gushed about Gaga’s performance, with many expecting another Oscar nomination.
Also getting a lot of attention is Jared Leto, who endured six hours of make-up every day to transform into balding pudgy playboy Paolo Gucci.
“I really used (those six hours) as an opportunity to work on the inner life of the character,” he said. “It was a great time to focus, and to meditate on the character.”
The film is directed by British director Ridley Scott, but it was his wife who pushed for many years for the film to be made, according to Salma Hayek, who plays Reggiani’s mother.
“I just happen to be really good friends with Giannina Scott, and so I saw her fight for this for 20 years,” Hayek said.
“She wanted to do the story of a woman that everybody sees only as a gold digger... but actually she really loved this man.”
Gaga agreed there was more to the story than simple greed.
“She not only loved Maurizio, but she loved what he meant and the way that he empowered her within the family business,” she said.
“And when that was taken from her... she reacted in a way that most women don’t – most women don’t have their husbands murdered. And yet I do believe... with this sort of systemic oppression, that this happened because she was simply too hurt.” – AFP
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
