The House of Gucci controversy continues...
Just days after the highly anticipated crime drama hit movie theaters, the heirs of Aldo Gucci, who served as chairman of the Gucci fashion house, didn't mince words when slamming the on-screen portrayal of their famous family. "This is extremely painful from a human point of view," the family said in a statement. "And an insult to the legacy on which the brand is built today."
The movie, which premiered worldwide in theaters on Nov. 24, follows the real-life story of socialite Patrizia Reggiani (played by Lady Gaga), who served nearly 20 years in prison for hiring a hit man to murder her ex-husband, Maurizio Gucci (played by Adam Driver). The film details the complicated family business and dynamics.
Patricia Gucci—Aldo's only daughter—had some pointed words for Al Pacino regarding his performance of her father, calling his version "shameful, because he doesn't resemble him at all." She went on to single out the Scarface performer's physicality, calling Pacino's portrayal "fat, short, with sideburns, really ugly."
One person in particular isn't having the Pacino shade: director Ridley Scott. The Star Wars filmmaker was quick to step in and defend the Hunters actor and addressed the criticism head-on. In a recent interview with Total Film, he said that he tried to be "as respectful as possible by being as factual as possible" to the real-life story. Scott called the family's statement "alarmingly insulting" especially when singling out The Godfather legend.
"The people that were writing from the family to us at the onset were alarmingly insulting, saying that Al Pacino did not represent physically Aldo Gucci in any shape or form," Scott explained. "And yet, frankly, how could they be better represented than by Al Pacino? Excuse me! You probably have the best actors in the world, you should be so fucking lucky."
Scott also added of the film's tone, "I think a lot of it is comedic. Certainly for the first two acts. Jared Leto, there's not a lot of information about [his character] Paolo, but there are pictures of Paolo and that's exactly what Paolo looks like."
He went on to explain how production found pictures of Paolo, and Jared dressed accordingly. "There's not a lot of Paolo on camera talking," he said. "And so that had to be, to a certain extent, imagined, but clearly Paolo was a very colorful and flamboyant man."
Since the interview with Scott, the Gucci family has once more criticized Scott and the film, saying that Aldo and Paolo are portrayed as "thugs, ignorant and insensitive to the world around them."
"The flamboyance of Paolo was quite nicely captured," the Blade Runner 2049 director adds. "And how could that be offensive? We paid attention to not getting too overt if we can avoid it."
Keep scrolling to compare the A-list cast to their real-life counterparts below.