Lady Gaga in Milan for House of Gucci: “My love letter to Italy”

AND the Lady Gaga day. That’s what you breathe when a real star arrives in the city (Milan, in this case). The fans who have been stationed since the early hours of the morning say it, the girls on the tram whisper it («let’s go to the Duomo, sooner or later it will pass through there, everyone will go there»), the insiders have been repeating for days. Everything is ready for the first italian di House of Gucci – scheduled for the evening of November 13 at The Space Cinema Odeon – the film by Ridley Scott in which Gaga plays Patrizia Reggiani, the one who in 1995 was the instigator of the murder of her husband Maurizio Gucci, a crime for which she served 16 years (of the 27 she was sentenced to, ed) in San Vittore. We cannot reveal anything about the film, one of the most anticipated of the year, yet: it will arrive in Italy for Eagle Pictures in 500 theaters on December 16 (the day before, on the 15th, there will be a special screening open to fans in some selected cinemas, the pre-sales of which are already open).

Miss Germanotta, as expected, from the first glance it does not disappoint. Long spotted dress, beige heels and white bag: this is how photographers intercept her, between the revolving door of the hotel and the car waiting for her. At the highly armored press meeting – no photo, no video – the pop star introduces herself, punctual, with another look (floral dress, transparent, covering a black body). But no surprise: on the red carpet at the Met we saw her change four dresses in 16 minutes. Even before starting, Lady Gaga does not hide all her emotion: “My family is from this country, I am so excited that I would like to scream, cry»She says, and shortly after she will really do it, brushing her long platinum hair with one hand. He said goodbye to the brown, wavy and short hair of Patrizia Reggiani: «My natural hair is brown, my real name is Stefani, that is Stefania, I am Italian American. To play Patrizia I wanted to really feel myself. I worked for a long time on the Italian accent “, she continues,” and as a brunette I felt more comfortable saying “good morning” (he pronounces it in Italian). And then my hair was dark inside too A Star is Born. I will never tire of saying it: I was very lucky to have worked with Bradley Cooper, Ridley saw me in that movie, without Bradley I wouldn’t be here today “.

As he told the New York Times, Lady Gaga studied the accent for nine months, approached the script with a journalistic, Carthusian approach, reading police reports, every interview given by Reggiani over the years, every article written about her. “It was a wonderful, spiritual but also very complicated experience“, tells, “I play a killer, the film retraces a tragedy, a true story. But my focus, in addition to the family empire, has always been on love story. Patrizia was in love, a real woman, with many shades ».

The most immediate inspiration? “My grandmother and my mother. But I admire all Italian women, their style, their temperament. We were inspired by Gina Lollobrigida, Sophia Loren ». Roots matter: «My family, I will never stop repeating it, is Italian American, my father has Sicilian origins, so I understand well what it means to grow up in a family with deep roots. My house was also built on hard work, Gucci somehow reminds me of my family. My father was a shoemaker, he didn’t build an empire like theirs, of course, but he made enormous sacrifices ».

Style. “I didn’t want to make a caricature of Patrizia Reggiani, nor the imitation of an Italian woman. Fashion is certainly very important, but the most relevant aspect is the inner life. Many filmmakers and screenwriters focus on beauty, but this character is not always beautiful, at some point it implodes. When she feels discarded, sidelined, when the business marginalizes her, in which she thought she had finally found the role she wanted, and when the man she loved marginalized her ». Yes, because Patrizia Reggiani really loved Maurizio Gucci. Lady Gaga is sure of it: «My personal opinion about Patrizia is that she suffered a very strong trauma. At 12, her mother Silvana showed her photos of golden bachelors to date. If it had happened to me, I would have experienced it as terrible violence. When she and Maurizio got married, Gucci had marginalized him. It wasn’t just money at stake, there was love. Then she got stuck in a male-ruled, patriarchal family system. Finally, he lost everything: love, power, the father of his daughters. Many women are still considered today as social climbers, as gods money seekers, and I try a deep resentment for all of this. We never stop to think that for many women it is just a way to survive, not to mention that even today many girls are pushed to measure their worth only through marriage with a rich man. When you are little they tell you that it only matters if you are beautiful and a rich man asks you to marry him. They told me too. But I to all these women, pushed to the limit, I want to say: “If you feel you don’t count, hold on. And if you survive, try to stay whole. You have made a huge mistake and still today it is paying the consequences ”».

Gaga does not deny that she did not want to meet Patrizia Reggiani, and even today she would not want to ask her anything: “It would be very difficult for me to talk to her. As an actress, playing her was a huge challenge. It is about a woman who commissioned a murder, a character who was able to do a horrible thing, but I found a way to love her because she was a young girl from Vignola, who dreamed big and wanted a better life. I have tried to feel compassion for all Gucci and I try to be as professional as possible considering the real nature of the story ».

The acting: «I really like acting. This film was an extraordinary artistic experience, made with the heart. It is my love letter to Italy, my dream is to learn Italian well, so much so that I can act in Italian“. Another Oscar ?: «I already feel very privileged to have won for A star is born. For this film it would be a great honor to just receive a nomination. When I talk about this movie with my father, he starts to cry. He is very proud. And even now I can’t help thinking about my father’s tears. To being recognized for something that is so profound, ”she explains. And that’s where Gaga – over 35 million albums sold, 13 Grammys, 50 million followers – he is moved. The roots, his heart: «My grandfather, Giuseppe Germanotta, I know that he sees us somewhere and is happy with all this».

And as for the prizes, he continues, “I wish everyone would win one. Every actor, every person who took part in this work. We shot in Italy during the pandemic and I want to thank everyone. I want to say one thing. I want to thank everyone doctors and health professionals who worked at the time of Covid. This is true courage ».