Few movies, let alone production stills, have been able to capture the zeitgeist the way House of Gucci has. For weeks now, the upcoming film from Ridley Scott—starring Oscar-winning pop sensation Lady Gaga and Oscar-nominated perennial internet boyfriend Adam Driver, with Oscar winners Al Pacino, Jared Leto, and Jeremy Irons in supporting roles—has driven the internet to distraction based solely on the strength of its set photos. Look! There’s Adam Driver and Lady Gaga decked out in impeccable ’80s ski attire, posing together on the deck of some fabulous ski chalet. Gasp! A brunette Lady Gaga forcefully shoves a calzone down Adam Driver’s throat. The photos are gaudy, bawdy, aggressively Italian, and most importantly, seem to have all the ingredients necessary to make an incredible motion picture.
Even better, the story they’re serving is almost too good to be true. The film is focused on the murder of Maurizio Gucci (played by Driver), grandson of fashion house founder Guccio Gucci, which was orchestrated by his ex-wife Patrizia Reggiani (Gaga, of course). Reggiani was convicted of his assassination in 1998. When a reporter asked in 2014 why she hadn’t shot her ex-husband herself, Reggiani replied, “My eyesight is not so good. I didn’t want to miss.”
Unfortunately for humankind, there’s no House of Gucci footage available for public consumption just yet. So in the meantime, we will be paying way too much attention to the best production stills, losing ourselves in the Italian decadence of *House of Gucci—*and speculating as to what this film, which has already given us so much, has in store.
The picture that launched a thousand tweets. Backed by a stunning snowy landscape, Gaga and Driver are serving après-ski eleganza, cozied up together on the deck of the ski chalet in their black and white snow gear. Gaga’s white Cossack hat and jewelry combined look like they’re worth approximately six months’ rent (plus utilities), and Chris Evans’s Knives Out cable-knit sweater wants what Adam Driver’s House of Gucci sweater has. At first glance, they look like the picture-perfect couple, but if you look into Gaga’s eyes, you can see she’s plotting something…
Gaga stands next to a pool, in a shoulder-less white minidress, matching shawl, and black belt, dutifully listening to a member of production. It’s a simple photo, but at least suggests that we may be getting some stunning scenic shots from the Scott film, which was shot on location in Italy. Molto bello!
Sporting the same white ensemble, Gaga is photographed wearing a fur coat that can only be described as “J.Lo’s Hustlers coat, but make it fashion.” Is this coat featured in the film? Or was the star merely cold in between takes? From the looks of it, Gaga wears a lot of stunning outerwear in the film, so it’s probably the former. In either case, she looks warm and happy.
Gaga, sporting a conservative black dress and pearls, enters a red sports car with a forlorn expression on her face. Is this a shot from her ex-husband’s wake? It’s impossible to know at this juncture. But in the production still, it definitely looks like Gaga is serving funeral chic. Also, now we can confirm where she got her broach inspiration for that inauguration outfit.
If the production stills are any indication, Gaga’s Patrizia Reggiani style changes over the years, and this photo definitely captures her in her Kris Jenner era. Gaga is caught behind the scenes rocking a brunette momager haircut, thick black eyeliner, and a leather skirt. She’s also sporting a jaguar-like pendant and can be seen screaming and crying in other stills in the same outfit. Is this when it all starts going south for Patrizia? If only she had the real Kris Jenner on speed dial in the mid ’90s.
Adam Driver is famously a big dude. His size has been used to great effect in projects such as Girls, Star Wars, and when he punched that wall in Marriage Story. But never before has his six-foot-two frame been put to better use than in this picture, where he is gingerly carrying Stefani Germanotta in or out of a wooden gondola. He is so large in his white turtleneck while she is so small in her plaid jacket. And yes, there is something inherently cinematic about that juxtaposition. Why would this petite woman betray her large husband? We’ll have to wait and see.
The latest addition to the House of Gucci production-still canon features Lady Gaga in a white lace wedding gown and veil. Other shots of the wedding scene feature Gaga and Driver arm in arm, walking down the aisle, covered in rice and smiling ear to ear. The vibe is very “You come into my house on the day my daughter is to be married”: gorgeous on the surface, with something sinister brewing underneath. Is the wedding dress Gaga’s wearing historically accurate? Not exactly. But it looks damn good, and that’s what ultimately matters.
Lady Gaga is nothing if not an Italian girl. This has never been clearer than in the House of Gucci photo where she seemingly forces Adam Driver to eat a calzone. The force with which Gaga shoved that calzone down Driver’s windpipe could be felt through the photo. “Eat this,” the photo screams. “I won’t take no for an answer.” You have to imagine that when the cameras weren’t rolling, she did the same thing to Driver with a sleeve of Chromatica Oreos. In any case, the Godfather is shaking.
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