“[Discrimination] has never personally happened to me, but it’s been very close to me—my mom, my sister, my niece, my female friends. Édgar Ramírez as Gianni Versace. Despite having a nasty cold—which hit him “like a truck” during Golden Globes week—and still toting around some of that extra, custom-designed Versace baggage, his passion for the project is palpable. He said, ‘Okay, I guess you know what you’re doing,’ but I don’t know if it would have been the same thing if my sister had wanted to be that.” Incidentally, there are no hard feelings today in his household. His sister, Nataly, was not as fortunate. Edgar Ramirez Arellano is a Venezuelan actor, born on March 25, 1977 in the city of San Cristobal (Tachira State, southwest Venezuela). Prescient, too, was the way the designer injected unbridled sensuality into his work, from the red carpet shutdowns to the supermodels still ruling the Versace runways. He asserts that he’s happy with his path: “I’m very lucky. “I want to be part of stories that are not only dramatically gripping—that grab you and don’t let go—but that also touch upon important subjects. By Laura Regensdor f. January 24, 2018. He had the freedom to try his hand at a variety of careers until he found one that fit. My father almost died this past year, but he made it [to the holidays] with us. “For better or for worse, we live in a culture that was partially shaped by Gianni Versace: the exacerbation of fame, glamour, the whole bling culture,” says Ramírez. Other projects include Vantage Point; the 2015 Point Break reboot; Hands of Stone; The Girl on the Train; and, more recently, Gold and Bright. I knew this was going to be hard for them, so I didn’t want to reach out to them,” he admits. “I didn’t always know what I wanted to do, but if I wanted something, I was determined to get it.”. Édgar Filiberto Ramírez Arellano is a Venezuelan actor. No, nothing’s perfect, but that’s part of the challenge. He just wrapped Pablo Trapero’s thriller The Quietude with The Artist’s Bérénice Bejo in Argentina and will reunite with Robert De Niro for the third time in a top-secret project. In his will, Versace provided D’Amico with a $30,000-a-month lifetime allowance and the right to live in any of the late designer’s homes, but because of a feud with the Versace … “I have a great platform to give a voice to people who are underrepresented or don’t have a voice. Gender equality is a liberation movement for each and every person that has felt the burden of a gender stereotype, or like they’ve had to fit into an uncomfortable mold or felt the pain of discrimination,” he declares. Vogue may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. “I never felt that I needed to do something else, because my father’s expectations were different. “I’ve been lucky to become very close to Bob, and he’s an important part of my life, not only professionally but also personally. Although Ramírez is Venezuelan while Versace was Italian, the resemblance between the two is rather striking. Our show is based on a nonfiction book by a highly respected female writer, and we stand by her reporting.”, After playing Gianni Versace, however, Ramírez very keenly feels the family’s grief. “What Versace did—the impact that he had on the history of fashion and culture—is undeniable. Edgar Ramirez on Wednesday was snapped on the Miami Beach, Florida set of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime … He was such a disruptor, such a nonconformist. “I wasn’t sure about the script and was more fascinated by the people I was going to work with, the scope of the project and the charisma of the director—who turned out to be a much better producer than a director and a writer. Starring: Edgar Ramírez… The first casualty was the actor’s catchall training regimen, which includes regular sparring sessions, Pilates, and CrossFit. I knew that the writers were going to be spectacular, but I wanted to understand the direction of the whole story. “It was part of his cultural heritage: He wanted to be ruler of the realm,” says Ramírez, referring to the Versace solar system, “with all these people orbiting around him.” Establishing that dynamic from the first scene—as the designer floats through Casa Casuarina, projecting an easy, unassailable confidence—called for a different sort of transformation for the Venezuela-born actor, whose recent roles had him dive into boxing (Hands of Stone) and extreme rock climbing and surfing (Point Break). Jeff Daly / FX, AP Photo / Michel Euler The Italian designer and fashion icon was one of the most famous names in fashion at the time of his murder. It’s the night before the second season premiere of FX’s true-crime anthology, a highly anticipated follow-up to 2016’s much-feted, award-winning The People v. O.J. He tried to change the world in the best way he could. Edgar Ramírez on Becoming Gianni Versace, From Prosthetics to Pasta. This is the case for most of Ryan Murphy’s work—his stories are interesting, but also socially and culturally relevant,” he notes, before admitting, “The first thing that drew me to the project was Ryan. Clearly, Murphy, along with the cast and crew, more than satisfied his requirements, giving Ramírez one of the top overall experiences of his career. And that is beautiful. Ricky Martin as Antonio D'Amico and Edgar Ramirez as Gianni Versace in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. When episode one debuted a week ago—luring in 5.5 million viewers thirsty for fashion-world mythology, 1990s nostalgia, or prestige true crime—one revelation was that the story line had far more to do with serial killer Andrew Cunanan than the man on the marquee. Ramírez, who is also a Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and supports Amnesty International, has always stood up for what he believes in. Jan 17, 2018 Contour by Getty Images. We had to really abandon ourselves to each other to really get to the core of the scene.”, The fiery Versace family hasn’t been particularly impressed with Murphy’s project, which, again, ais based on a nonfiction work. I take things one day at a time.”, He references the destruction of his homeland, and the constitutional-crisis protests that swept Venezuela in 2017. He played Carlos the Jackal in the 2010 biopic series Carlos, a role for which he won the César Award for Most Promising Actor at the César Awards 2011, and was nominated for a Golden Globe and Emmy Award for Best Actor. Photographed by Norman Jean Roy, Vogue, December 2015 The emperor has no clothes. Gianni Versace and his sister Donatella built one of the great style dynasties. His first role of note was in the Venevisión soap opera Cosita Rica. Is it perfect? I had more opportunities to decide my life based on my gender. Edgar Ramirez wears flamboyant pink silk gown as he recreates Gianni Versace's final few days for American Crime Story. Sadly, the Italian-born designer’s death became as infamous as his life had been. The movement’s goal is to achieve equality by encouraging men and boys to become agents of change and to act against the inequalities that women face worldwide. “I had to put on some weight to fit his measurements. Playing larger-than-life fashion icon Gianni Versace isn’t a role Édgar Ramírez will soon to forget: the 20 pounds he put on for the part in Ryan Murphy’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story are a constant reminder. “We are, as a family, trying to build opportunities for the next generation so they don’t feel the burden of a gender stereotype,” he says. “It doesn’t happen very often, but we all became very close. It is not sensational. That was the fun part,” Ramírez jokes of the steady helpings of pasta and polenta, along with arepas—the Venezuelan stuffed pastries he tracked down while filming in Miami. I have great people around me, and I try to surround myself with people who have the same attitude. “In order to understand the massive loss that this man’s disappearance was, we really had to understand his creative process and how much love he had for art, for life, his family,” he notes. “I’ve always been an outspoken person since I was a kid,” he reveals. As important as that visual doubling was, it was just the beginning. Ryan gave me my process and my space, so I said yes.”. Defining moments in Andrew Cunanan's life, starting in childhood, lead up to a 1997 murder spree that kills five, including fashion icon Gianni Versace. Ramírez won at the 2012 ALMA Awards for I had to live with that weight for seven months. More On: gianni versace. “My sister, cousins and friends didn’t have that choice. After having portrayed his life, it hurts more to know that he’s no longer with us.”, However, Ramírez did not have to shake off his sadness at the end of every day. “In the end, [the goal] is to capture what his essence might have been.”, Working alongside Cruz, in a revolving lineup of sleek, barely breathable ensembles, offered as much a boost in character building. The 40-year-old actor is in New York to promote the nine-episode series, an exploration of Versace’s murder that is based on Maureen Orth’s best-seller Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History. “In the most Italian of ways, he had such a hunger for life. Sometimes you nail it, sometimes you don’t, but you wait for the next day to make it better. “I’ve only done two films with Bob, but it feels like six because of the intensity of the films, but also because of the, intensity of our relationship,” he shares. “I was lucky that it happened early in my career, which made it actually painless in a way, because I learned that I have to do projects for the right reasons,” Ramírez says. All rights reserved. “This is one of the best roles I’ve ever had the chance to play. I think that’s a part of my responsibility.”. It’s not about the size of a character, it’s about how much of a force a character is within a story. “I didn’t really need to get rid of the character every time I walked off set, because he was fun,” he admits. Ad Choices. “What I said to Ryan is, ‘I have to be responsible for my choice, so that if I sign on regardless of what happens, I’m not going to blame anyone—you or the producers,’” he recalls, noting, “It’s not about having things my way, because that’s boring. Simpson. By Dailymail.com Reporter. Michael Kors buys Versace for $2.2 billion. For example, she wanted to become a pilot. Every time I couldn’t fit into my pants or was on a photo shoot and couldn’t fit into sample sizes, I was reminded that I was playing Gianni,” he confides ruefully. Although he can’t talk about the film, he has plenty to say about De Niro, his co-star in Joy and Hands of Stone. Ramírez is an Emmy®, Golden Globe®, and SAG® nominated actor with an impressive resume in film and television. To have had the privilege to decide my life and what I am, that obliges you to help other people to have the same privileges,” he says. “For particular reasons, we weren’t allowed to [approach the family], but I also knew it would be fruitless, and I didn’t want to do that. “I just spent an amazing New Year’s Eve with my family. “It was about the women feeling gorgeous—he wanted the dresses to be a tool to be empowered.” With sartorial messaging on the awards circuit this year, that impulse lives on. The culture of bling, the exacerbation of fame, the picture between cinema and fashion, and fame and celebrity is something Gianni helped to create,” he enthuses. Needless to say, Ramírez did not get in touch with any members of the Versace family—not his brother, Santo, niece, Allegra, nephew, Daniel, nor Donatella (who reportedly sent friend Penélope Cruz a bouquet of flowers wishing her luck)—while researching the role. He treats everyone equally, honestly. “The family relationships within the Versace clan were volatile, and we had to have a lot of trust in each other. Things shouldn’t always be easy, and if they are, you fight for others, in his opinion. He was shot and killed in cold blood on July 15, 1997, on the steps of his Miami Beach mansion after returning from a walk on Ocean Drive. I was enchanted by his promises and how he pitched the movie to me. “All this kind of heroine-chic look—he wasn’t into that. 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