Ricky Martin and Édgar Ramirez as Gianni Versace and Antonio D'Amico.
Ricky Martin and Édgar Ramirez as Gianni Versace and Antonio D'Amico.
In 2016, The People V. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story captured the TV zeitgeist like few shows ever have, delivering a searing commentary on race and celebrity that had viewers hooked.
Season two, The Assassination of Gianni Versace, looks to emulate that success as it explores the 1997 murder of the Italian fashion designer and the entrenched homophobia, which still exists in society today.
Venezuelan actor Edgar Ramirez teams up with Penelope Cruz to portray Gianni Versace and his almost-as-famous sister, Donatella, who took over the iconic fashion label after her brother's murder.
Penelope Cruz at Donatella Versace.
His death came at the hands of Andrew Cunanan, a deeply troubled 27-year-old who had killed four others in the months before he fatally shot Versace on the steps of the designer's ocean-front Miami mansion.
In what is sure to be a breakout performance, Cunanan is chillingly portrayed by Darren Criss, best known for Ryan Murphy's hit musical series, Glee. And pop star Ricky Martin is revelatory as Antonio D'Amico, Gianni Versace's long-term romantic partner.
Darren Criss stars as Andrew Cunanan, who shot and killed Gianni Versace in 1997.
Last week, the Versace family released a statement condemning the project as a "work of fiction". FX, the American network behind the series, responded by citing the accuracy of the reporting in the show's source material, the 2000 book, Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace and the Largest Failed Manhunt in US History, which was adapted for television by London Spy creator Tom Rob Smith.
Smith tells the tale in reverse chronological order, opening the series with Versace meeting his tragically premature end at Cunanan's hands on the morning of July 15, 1997.
Edgar Ramirez as Gianni Versace.
Ramirez, who bears an uncanny physical resemblance to Versace, filmed the death scene in the actual location where the murder occurred.
"It was very beautiful, it was moving," Ramirez tells TimeOut in Los Angeles. "Because it was the real step where he died. That's what made the whole process so moving for everyone."
Ramirez considers Versace to be responsible for the modern intersection of celebrity and fashion.
"He married sexuality and glamour, fashion and sensuality, something that no one had done on a global scale," Ramirez says. "A lot of the world that we live in, the society, the culture, for better or for worse, was shaped by Gianni's disruption. This mixture between fashion and celebrity and fame. He was the first - on a global scale - celebrity designer. Though he didn't carry a life as a celebrity, it was part of his mystique."
Ricky Martin as Versace's partner Antonio D'Amico.
Versace's relationship with D'Amico, which the designer revealed to the world in a coming-out interview in The Advocate two years before he died, forms the beating heart of the series.
"We wanted to tell a love story that is a big part of the project and a big part of his life," says Ramirez. "They were together 15 years, Antonio and Gianni. There was a lot of trust and a lot of desire to make the other one happy and Ricky and I wanted to be as open as possible in portraying that."
When TimeOut meets with Martin, it's clear he's delighted to be part of the series, which saw him work closely with the real D'Amico.
"We've spoken more and more and he's been incredibly helpful and so open in sharing his emotions regarding all this," says the Livin' La Vida Loca hitmaker.
Penelope Cruz as Donatella Versace.
Having spent years hiding his own sexuality, Martin says he could identify with Versace's situation, which saw him and D'Amico keep their relationship secret for years before finally coming out.
"I can feel both sides, because in the 90s, I was hiding my boyfriends," Martin tells TimeOut. "I was very egotistical and self-centered and I didn't care what they were feeling. But I needed to keep it quiet because in my head, I had the stupid fear - which is an illusion - that if I came out, everything's going to be over. So it's very beautiful to be able to talk about this. That's one of the reasons I jumped into this because there is a lot of injustice in this story. In 1997 we were dealing with homophobia that we're still dealing with today, so I'm gonna use my force to bring some light onto this."
Venezuelan actor Édgar Ramirez bears an uncanny resemblance to Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace.
While Ramirez and Martin bring that light to the series, Criss' remarkable performance as Cunanan, is one of stunning darkness textured by genuine humanity.
"I can't think he's a monster, I just can't," Criss says of Cunanan during a chat with TimeOut. "Obviously he's done monstrous things, but if you make it that simple, you're sabotaging a narrative. This isn't a Bond movie, I'm not just playing a bad guy, it's not as simple as that. It's important to see some side of yourself in these people, so that's my goal with him.
"It's not that I'm trying to humanise or glamorise somebody who was a conventional monster, I'm trying to tell a story and ask greater questions. It's not necessary for you to empathise with Andrew, but I do hope people do question their sense of what empathy is and at what point could this have been you or somebody you knew. I think it all goes back to pain and fear. These are things we all feel, to whatever small or great degree."
LOWDOWN: Who: Ricky Martin, Édgar Ramirez and Darren Criss What: The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story When: Tonight, 9.30pm Where: Sky Soho
