House Of Gucci star Lady Gaga has said she spent nine months living with an Italian accent because she wanted to speak from a place that was “visceral” and “true”.
The actress and singer, 35, plays Patrizia Reggiani in Sir Ridley Scott’s crime drama, a socialite who had her fashion dynasty heir husband Maurizio Gucci murdered in a case that gripped Italy.
Gaga, who is of Italian descent and whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, recently revealed the lengths she went to when taking on the character.
She walked the red carpet at the film’s UK premiere in London’s Leicester Square wearing a purple dress featuring dramatic cape sleeves that was split down the side to show stockings and high boots.
Gaga said that although she felt her creative process has been “sensationalised” by reports, she had been unable to lie about the extent of her method.
She told the PA news agency: “I really feel that in some ways my process has been sensationalised into something. But I don’t like to lie about my work and my process so what I will say is this.
“I am 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 dove headfirst into this world because she is nothing like me.
“An inherently wide-eyed person that is looking to transgress society financially is something that I don’t identity with. So I spent a lot of time living my life looking for where money and value lie.
“Then there is the accent. Then there is the ability to talk as myself, meaning as Stefani, with the accent, so that I knew that I could speak from a place that was visceral, that was true.
“Then there is this script which you have to analyse until you are dead behind the eyes. For me, I would stop at nothing to take take helm of my character.”
In House Of Gucci, her first film role since her Oscar-nominated turn in 2018’s A Star Is Born, Gaga stars alongside Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons and Salma Hayek – and praised the cast for their commitment.
She said: “I have to hand it to the cast. The cast is brilliant. They were amazing to work with. Everybody was professional, everybody was wonderful.”
Gaga described acclaimed director Sir Ridley as “absolutely masterful”.
She added: “I can’t say enough about him.
“He knew exactly how to do everything and he has vision beyond anything you can imagine. I am just hoping he will hire me as his assistant so I can work with him all the time.”
Reggiani, a socialite and high fashion personality, was convicted of orchestrating the 1995 assassination of Maurizio, the grandson of Gucci’s founder.
In an attempt to get the verdict overturned, her two daughters argued a brain tumour had affected her behaviour.
She was eventually freed in 2016.
House Of Gucci will arrive in UK cinemas on November 26.