Father, son, and house of Gaga-- sorry, Gucci. When the first trailer for House of Gucci was released in July, the internet exploded with chatter about its innumerable line-reads, rejoinders, and chicer-than-chic costumes - well, all of those things plus Jared Leto's bald cap. Two moments, however, captured the zeitgeist like no other. In one, Lady Gaga's Patrizia Gucci, née Reggiani, menacingly stirs her tea while telling us she's not much of an "ethical person"; in the other, she crosses herself and utters the already infamous lines: "Father, son, and house of Gucci." It set the internet ablaze. And as it turns out, the line was the product of a Gaga ad-lib, Variety reveals.
Speaking at the Los Angeles premiere last night at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures - and reportedly slipping into an Italian accent - Gaga said:
"I would do it in the trailer all the time. [...] I was doing it in the trailer and then something about that scene when were doing it felt right. We did it, and it's a testament to Ridley Scott as a director because he uses the stuff. He uses creativity. He uses the love."
Gaga's preference for capital-M Method has been the talk of the town for the last week or so, since a revealing cover profile of the superstar was published by British Vogue. Reportedly, she used her Italian accent for almost a year non-stop, saying that she "lived as [Reggiani] for a year and a half. And I spoke with an accent for nine months of that. [...] I never broke. I stayed with her". What this press tour has conveyed of Gaga - and no doubt will continue to far into awards season - is, at the very least, her absolute commitment to the bit.
She spoke further with Variety about getting into Patrizia's head:
"The most challenging part was playing a murderer. [...] But I will say that after a lot of research, I realized that she knows she made a big mistake. And it was a lot of trauma that drove her toward this huge mistake that I know she regrets. So when you go see House of Gucci, you will not watch a movie about some sexy, gold-digging murderess, you will watch a real woman fall in love and fall apart."
Gaga certainly imbues Patrizia, the real-life version of her being the epitome of moral complexity, with sympathy and vulnerability. And if that isn't a testament to her ability as a performer, well, what is?
House of Gucci features an all-star ensemble of Gaga, Adam Driver, Leto, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek, and Al Pacino. It arrives in theatres next week, on November 24.