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The first installment of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story airs on Wednesday night, but the drama surrounding the show started swirling long before its premiere. Ryan Murphy’s second ACS installment for FX after The People v. O.J. Simpson has legendary Italian designer Gianni Versace’s name in the title, but is based on a book by Vanity Fair contributor Maureen Orth called Vulgar Favors, which chronicles the killing spree of Andrew Cunanan and what led up to the morning he shot Versace on the steps of his Miami mansion. The show, then, is inevitably focused on Cunanan, rather than its namesake, and that, in addition to a lot of graphic violence, might explain why the family has come out against it. But Penélope Cruz is, apparently, on good terms with the real-life Donatella Versace, whom she portrays, and Ryan Murphy says he consulted with Donatella on a few points she wanted to make sure he got right about her brother’s life. So what’s the real story? Before you watch it, catch up on the latest Versace: ACS drama with the following time line:
July 29, 2017
Versace’s partner of 15 years, Antonio D’Amico, reacts negatively to photos showing Ricky Martin, who plays him, filming scenes from the show: “The picture of Ricky Martin holding the body in his arms is ridiculous. Maybe it’s the director’s poetic license, but that is not how I reacted.” D’Amico says he was not consulted by the ACS crew or creative team.
August 9, 2017
At a Television Critics Association panel, Ryan Murphy tells the audience that Donatella Versace reached out about certain details, including her children and how she wanted them treated in the show, which Murphy says he respected.
September 30, 2017
Ricky Martin tells Ocean Drive that he eventually was able to have a conversation with D’Amico about the portrayal of his relationship with Versace, though we don’t know how D’Amico responded. “I had the opportunity to speak to Antonio a few months ago,” Martin says. “I said, ‘Antonio, listen, maybe you’ve seen a couple of paparazzi shots of the actual scenes that we’re shooting, but please don’t judge the quality of it just by one picture, because it could easily be taken out of context. You have to see for yourself what we’re doing, and you’re going to be so pleased with everything.'"
January 8, 2018
The Versace family releases their first official statement on the show, slamming it as “a work of fiction”: “The Versace family has neither authorized nor had any involvement whatsoever in the forthcoming TV series about the death of Mr. Gianni Versace. Since Versace did not authorize the book on which it is partly based, nor has it taken part in the writing of the screenplay, this TV series should only be considered as a work of fiction.”
FX responds, reiterating that the show is based on Maureen Orth’s nonfiction book and the reporting within: “Like the original American Crime Story series The People vs. OJ Simpson, which was based on Jeffrey Toobin’s nonfiction best seller The Run of His Life, FX’s follow-up The Assassination Of Gianni Versace is based on Maureen Orth’s heavily researched and authenticated nonfiction best seller Vulgar Favors, which examined the true-life crime spree of Andrew Cunanan. We stand by the meticulous reporting of Ms. Orth.”
January 10, 2018
The Versace family releases a second statement, giving more information about why the family objects to the show. Citing Orth’s reporting on Gianni Versace’s “medical condition,” they say that there are “lurid claims,” in reference to Orth’s claim that Versace was HIV positive at the time of his death. In addition, Donatella Versace gives an interview to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, saying, “I haven’t seen (the series) nor will I see it, because after all this time, it still hurts to see Gianni represented untruthfully.” The full family statement reads as follows:
“As we have said, the Versace family has neither authorized nor had any involvement whatsoever in the forthcoming TV series about the death of Mr. Gianni Versace, which should only be considered as a work of fiction. The company producing the series claims it is relying on a book by Maureen Orth, but the Orth book itself is full of gossip and speculation. Orth never received any information from the Versace family and she has no basis to make claims about the intimate personal life of Gianni Versace or other family members. Instead, in her effort to create a sensational story, she presents secondhand hearsay that is full of contradictions.
As just one example, Orth makes assertions about Gianni Versace’s medical condition based on a person who claims he reviewed a postmortem test result, but she admits it would have been illegal for the person to have reviewed the report in the first place (if it existed at all). In making her lurid claims, she ignores contrary information provided by members of Mr. Versace’s family, who lived and worked closely with him and were in the best position to know the facts of his life.
Gianni Versace was a brave and honest man, who engaged in humanitarian work for the benefit of others. Of all the possible portrayals of his life and legacy, it is sad and reprehensible that the producers have chosen to present the distorted and bogus version created by Maureen Orth.
The Versace family will issue no further comment on the matter.”
January 16, 2018
Penelope Cruz appears on Ellen to say that she reached out to Donatella about playing her, and that the designer gave her a reticent blessing. Donatella, she says, told her “if somebody was going to do it, she was really happy that it was me, because I think she knows what I feel for her and Gianni. They’re the most kind people. It’s important to me that when she sees what I’ve done, she can feel the love and respect that I have put there and how I feel for her.”
ACS costume designers reveal that the Versace archive and design house did not authorize any materials for the costumes for the show, so they had to rely on online resellers and re-creating iconic looks from scratch to bring the Versaces to life.