Gucci relatives say new murder movie is 'stealing the identity' of the family
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According to Gucci family members, the dashing men at the head of Ridley Scott's upcoming House of Gucci murder movie might've assassinated the family's reputation for fine taste in clothing, and they fear the film itself will cross a personal line.
Speaking to the Associated Press, the great-grandchildren of Guccio Gucci — the luxury clothing brand's founder and grandfather to Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver), whose orchestrated murder at the hands of ex-wife Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) in 1995 anchors the film's plot — say that the filmmakers didn't consult them when adapting their ancestors' stories for the big screen, and dressed them in ways that feel inauthentic.
"We are truly disappointed. I speak on behalf of the family," Patrizia Gucci, one of Maurizio's second cousins, told the Associated Press on Wednesday. "They are stealing the identity of a family to make a profit, to increase the income of the Hollywood system... Our family has an identity, privacy. We can talk about everything, but there is a borderline that cannot be crossed."
One such infraction, the report notes, is the film's costuming, which Patrizia Gucci said "doesn't resemble" the family's aesthetic — particularly that of Aldo Gucci, played in the movie by Al Pacino.
"My grandfather was a very handsome man, like all the Guccis, and very tall, blue eyes and very elegant," she continued, "He is being played by Al Pacino, who is not very tall already, and this photo shows him as fat, short, with sideburns, really ugly."
When it comes to her father, Paolo Gucci (Jared Leto), Patrizia Gucci took offense at the unkempt hair and lilac corduroy suit the Oscar-winning actor (who's borderline unrecognizable in paparazzi shots) was seen wearing on the set: "Horrible, horrible. I still feel offended," she said.
Lady Gaga/Twitter
Patrizia Gucci also said that she reached out to the director's wife, Giannina Facio, for an explanation on the scope of the film, but hasn't received a reply. She said that Facio met with Gucci family members — who haven't been involved with the fashion house since 1993 — in the early 2000s with interest in a separate project focusing Aldo and Paolo, though it never came to fruition.
Representatives for Scott, RSA Films, and United Artists Releasing did not provide EW with comment on the Gucci family's quotes.
The Gucci family lost its stake in the brand when Maurizio Gucci sold his share to the Bahrain-based Investcorp. It is now owned by Kering, the CEO of which, François-Henri Pinault, is married to Salma Hayek, who has a small role in the movie as well. Under its current ownership, the fashion house is reportedly cooperating with production, and even opened its archives to the film for wardrobe and props.
Various paparazzi photos released in recent weeks have shown Gaga, Driver, Leto, Hayek, and more filming on location in Italy, including what appears to be a scene featuring a marriage and a ride on a rowboat.
House of Gucci is eyeing a release on November 24.
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