Haters be damned: Some critics believe Lady Gaga’s performance in “House of Gucci” is award-worthy.
Despite mixed reviews of her performance, the star of Ridley Scott’s new drama has scored her first award for her take on Patrizia Reggiani, who famously hired a hitman to murder her ex-husband, Maurizio Gucci, in 1995.
The New York Film Critics Circle announced that it had named Gaga “Best Actress” on Friday alongside its other award winners. Gaga’s win was the only one the flick got from the group, which bills itself as “a principled alternative to Oscar.” In fact, the organization has picked the same best film as the Academy Awards 30 times over its 86 years, the Wrap reported.
“BEST ACTRESS: Lady Gaga for ‘House of Gucci’ #NYFCC,” the p. r. firm Falco Ink tweeted in response.
Gaga’s performance in Scott’s take on the much-covered ‘90s case has been both widely mocked and lauded. Her attempt at an Italian accent (as well as those of co-stars Jared Leto, Adam Driver and Al Pacino) has been roasted, with Salma Hayek’s accent coach for the movie declaring “it sounds more Russian” than Italian.
“I feel bad saying this, but her accent is not exactly an Italian accent,” Hayek’s coach, Francesca De Martini, told the Daily Beast in November.
“[The] ‘Bad Romance’ singer focuses so much on tics and facial expressions and her Slavic accent that there’s no soul, genuineness or vulnerability to the character,” The Post’s Johnny Oleksinski wrote of her performance. “It’s like watching the ‘Paparazzi’ music video on a loop for three hours.”
As for top billing this year, the NYFCC gave Best Film to the three-hour Ryusuke Hamaguchi’a drama “Drive My Car.”
Best Actor went to Benedict Cumberbatch for “The Power of the Dog,” which also won the group’s Best Director (Jane Campion) and Best Supporting Actor (Kodi Smit-McPhee) awards.