welcome to meet your nominee this is
Mariah Gullo from The Hollywood Reporter
and I have Edgar Ramirez with me today
hi I'm all right how are you very well
thank you hi hi everyone congratulations
thank you are getting nominated for
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a
limited series for the assassination of
Gianni Versace thank you thank you very
much so there's there's so much to
unpack here but the first thing I wanted
to ask you is the the actual show itself
has 18 nominations yeah what is it like
to be a part of that what what do you
think the Emmy voters responded to so so
strongly to the assassination of Gianni
Versace it's a very honest show and it's
a way beyond you know they live all
exuberance and the lush and the and
because it's very beautiful you know
it's very colorful and and and Gianni
Versace he created this world you know
of color and exuberance and vitality but
I think that way beyond that it's a it's
a it's a story about family
relationships you know I think that the
the beyond you know the the underlying
homophobia that we explore in the in the
show and and also the the the the
heinous horrible crimes you know that
the the constitute they main focus on
the story I think that in the
development and the in the exploration
of these crimes that we realize we
discover how much the show is about
family ties and familial relationships I
mean the the ones that the journey had
with with his own family the ones that
Andrew Cunanan had with his family and
also the rest of the victims I mean in
every in every episode you you see how
and you this character you know and and
and who's fantastic she's also nominated
how the family interactions took place
in the show and I think that that's
something that we all can relate to
because we all have I mean family
relationships are the are the are the
most complex and the most beautiful
because many times you hurt people out
of love you know you hurt people because
you want to help them you know and and
and you end up hurting them
and but at the same time that's not what
you want to do and I think the basic
list show but also but you know families
that were able to to overcome their
shortcomings and their frustrations and
stuck together you know when life was
throwing punches at them in the case of
they were such a family whose dynamic
was not easy at all but they stuck
together they they found a way to work
it out and and then you have the Cunanan
family a family like so many that
couldn't just take the pressure and
couldn't resolve their frustrations and
their shortcomings and ended up
destroying each other and then you see
the results you see andrew cunanan on
one side being this destroyer and then
you have Johnny Versace on this other
side being the Creator and of course the
other victims in between so so I got
something that I've been thinking about
a lot in the last months because I I
rewatched the show and then realize that
some of the most beautiful moments
happen with family among family members
this amazing cat yeah but first let's
talk about Penelope yeah first you see
how I get one you know one of the scenes
that really I reacted too strongly as
when she's arguing with Jionni about him
coming out and saying that it might be
bad for business
and I had that argument she has to be
that devil's advocate about how whether
he should do it or not
what was that seem like for you to film
it was it was a beautiful scene I mean
who is it is one of the my favorite
scenes in the show and and and that I've
ever shot you know and in my career it's
part of what I was just elaborating on I
mean she what you see Penelope planes
are not telling that scene you may think
well you're you're you're not supporting
she's not supporting his brother she's
trying to keep his brother in the dark
in the closet
you know denying who he is denying his
true nature but at the same time deep
inside you know that she didn't know
better
and she wanted to help but by helping
she's restricting his own freedom and
those dilemmas and those contradictions
is what makes it would make the drama so
interesting is what makes it the show
and the dynamic between these two
siblings so interesting and so relatable
you know I mean actually that scene is
it's precise an example of how you know
difficulties to deal with family
dynamics because she was really dearly
trying to help her brother in the best
way she could and she knew but he wasn't
really working for him
so yeah the the character of Gianni
Versace himself you had to go through a
physical transportation for him you also
have a journalism background so what was
it like researching researching the role
and how did your how did your natural
skills journalistic skills help you with
that well basically I um yeah it's true
I mean I always have especially with
biographical characters I have I have a
rather journalistic approach I mean I
try to learn and and and read as much as
I can about the character and especially
about the the historic context of the
character I mean the world this
character lived in because we are a
result we are a product of our times so
in that and that applies to characters
as well so for me it was very important
to understand you know what was going
was going on in the world was going on
in the world fashion in the 70s in the
80s and then even 90s where were were
were such you know became this global
fashion icon for me that it was very
important to understand how sexy and
rundown the 70s where and how opulent
and conservative you know the 80s with
the Regan era where and then suddenly
Johnny came in the 90s and mixed the two
the sexuality of the other 70s and all
the money from the 80s so he became the
designer of the world needed because
then in the 90s all those - I mean
sexuality and style sexuality and
fashion get married and he was a
designer for that time and he understood
very well that combination that marriage
between between sex and sexuality and
sexual energy and
fashion and the way you wanted to
present yourself to the world and of
course just by studying that then you
used that it starts to give you you know
hints and includes about who the
character might have been and also of
course there was a lot of documentation
available on Johnny and of course I took
a look at that and I was very very very
lucky too to have access to people who
were very close to Johnny for such a who
were generous enough to to open up and
share their insights with me
of course there's any other journalist I
can't reveal who they are well what did
they teach you was it mannerisms no it
was more know the many reasons and and I
mean that wasn't in the videos and the
documentaries at the time and and you
know and I tried to to approach that
with a lot of subtlety I tried and
respect the Xindi because in the end
when you play a biographical character
that a lot of people know especially one
that was you know it was only 20 years
ago you know when he when he went away
so there are a lot of documentation and
videos and everything you have to be
very careful because it's not it is not
a it is not a photograph it is a
painting so it's not an exact copy it's
just an approximation I mean to try to
get close to the essence of that
character and I think that that's what
what we tried to do and what this this
these des sources share with me was you
know anecdotes and and their own
personal experiences with his
personality things that when you when
you look at the brand over such and the
house of Versace the first thing the
first thing that comes to our mind is
the suberin sand that and the hedonism
and the and the luxury and the lush and
the sexuality and and yet a lot of that
was true to his obsessions but he was
rather according to the people I talked
to he was rather shy and reserved and
and he would go to bed rather early than
stay up partying all night you know he
he wanted to be surrounded by a lot of
let people from all walks of life and he
wanted to be inspired by that and he was
very democratic in that in
the sense but he was a very private
person as well not like Andy Warhol that
kind of scene yeah I'm very and very
focused on his family I mean his family
was was the most important thing and
that's where all so I can I could see
and Penelope as well we could see a
bridge to to you know between the
matific characters and ourselves because
we're very close to our families and
very close to our siblings so it was
very easy for me and for Penelope
established that that connection because
we know the dynamic very well and we're
lacking so and if there's something that
unifies Latin people in which you know
the Italians are also included is how
comfortable we are expressing emotions
and and it's just Spanish and I'm
Venezuelan and we do express emotions
especially family you know dynamics oh
yeah when you're dressed up in in the
Versace outfits especially I'm thinking
like the open robes the swim trunks and
then the prosthetic hair line where you
have less hair you feel more vulnerable
or more powerful and well I think that I
think the clothes the closer you are to
the character they're more powerful you
feel I don't have a I don't have a
problem with physical transformation if
it's what requires to to really get
under the skin of the character there
are certain things that you really need
to feel in your body and and for me was
important to to to change my body - I
mean he was he was in a he was in a fat
guy at all but he but he was the you
know the typical Italian guy that would
eat what he wanted and really not
exercise and that's also message you
know where your where your focus is so
for me was also and it was also fun
because it was eating all that delicious
Italian things you know that he that
that I think that he used to eat so so
it was a fun process but but yeah I
think it was important to to put on the
weight and and
and to really live in have it his cane
or to try to feel what inhabiting his
skin would have feel like in the trunks
and yeah and it was great to swim in
that pool
and to be you know to be completely self
indulgent indulgent whatever I wanted to
eat during those months yeah it was fun
how what was it like working with Ricky
Martin you know one of the strongest
scenes as your death scene yeah and and
then there's a parallel scene at the end
where he is experiencing his own
overdose and both are in the arms of
someone tell me about your reaction to
to that scene working with him has been
a dream you know I mean he's uh his his
incredible artists that have been
admiring for such a long time and and
now he's one of my best friends you know
thanks to in great part to to this to
this experience that we live together
playing Antonio and Johnny so he gave
himself completely and and I you know
it's funny cuz in the I mean funny for
the lack of a better word I mean it's
very interesting what happened in the
first episode because basically I played
I played that most of it but the
realities that is that Johnny was
declared dead over forty minutes after
he was shot so so the thought that that
he might have been able to feel
everything that was going around him but
just not able to respond haunted me for
a long time because he was you I mean he
was out but he was in bed when he was
found on the stairs when when Antonio
hugged him when he was you know put into
the ambulance he was not that yet he was
declared that in the hospital about you
know forty minutes later so that thought
haunted me and and and I felt Rica's as
Antonio energy and and commotion and
and and and shock I mean there was
really and it's and it's interesting
because I because of course I couldn't
open my eyes to to see it but I felt it
and and that and that feeling is very
vivid to me still because Ricky Ricky
Ricky didn't say anything I mean he gave
it all out you know and and and the same
thing he did on the final episode when
when he went Antonio tries to take his
own life and and and and he almost you
almost died
that was incredible I cried when I watch
the the last episode I mean Rick it
really moved me he really committed to
this character and and and and I think
that we're gonna see a lot of Ricky
Martin as an actor in the future and
will be will be just so lucky just to
keep seeing him performing he's a great
actor and very committed very very alive
everything that he does is very alive
and and and I love him very much
so it's he was it was great that this
project you know brought us together he
was the first person I told him about
the project yeah
because I I had just talked to to to
Ryan and and and to my agents and
everything was already worked out and
then and then when I got the call I was
meeting Ricky at a gallery and then I
told him in a week later Ryan called him
so so you know there's some there's some
very interesting interesting facts there
you know I kind of like mystical things
that happen around this project yeah now
you're you're part of a very exclusive
group of people the Ryan Murphy crew is
there any future projects that just just
like putting it out there nothing
nothing that is known but is there any
future projects you would like to do
with Ryan Murphy perhaps a historical
figure you'd like to layer well I mean I
haven't I haven't thought about it that
way but but yeah it is a I think that
Ryan has created an amazing culture
around his work and and with everyone
who collaborates with him not only
actors but you know the rest of the
heads of the part
I think that he he really he trusts
himself and there's four and therefore
he trusts others he empowers people so
that everyone works in you know on on
top of their game and and giving it all
out and that's the best environment to
work in the sort of trust among everyone
you know and and and actually this was a
big project you know you know in the in
the television it's fear
you know with and however he felt every
day when we're on set he felt that we
were they were shooting this independent
movie you know with a lot of comfort but
with a lot of freedom you know and and
everyone could really explore their
creativity and and and help each other
and add new nuances to do to the scenes
and I'm not only talking about actors
I'm talking about the rest of the crew
and and yeah there's a kind of like
repertory group kind of dynamic to what
Ryan does and most creators I mean the
the big directors of the big producers
you know from the golden era of cinema
not only here in the United States but
also in Europe they have always worked
with the same people because it's it's
you know it's a it's a it's a shortcut
it's a shortcut to what you want I mean
what you feel understood and you feel
that you share the same values and the
same abandoned and the same there then I
guess that's what brings you back to to
work with with with the same people and
but at the same time clearly Ryan keeps
his eyes open and his curiosity for
other people open because then he keeps
adding people like us for example so
he's a very generous person and and and
I'm very happy to have him in my life
yeah final question yeah what are the
Emmys after-party is going to look like
with you Ricky
Penelope Judith in all in it it's it's
gonna be it's gonna be great because
really it doesn't happen on every
project
but it did happen on this one we all
became very close
and we all became very close friends and
we really were really very happy every
time we see each other and it's gotta be
a fun fun fun fun after-party round
these Emmys also because the Emmys have
viz this this very special quality is
the fact that a lot of people that have
been working together for a long time
get together that night so there's a
very family you know oriented dynamic
you know so it's a there's a there's a
relaxed and this a sense of ease that I
remember my first Emmys and six years
ago and and I do and I do remember how
how chill that room was you know so the
parties were great yeah cuz people are
people have been people have been
working together maybe one show for
seven years and then but there was
another one for another five years so
everyone knows each other
in a way so it's very relaxed and and of
course that that is that is perfect for
for the after-party now of course you
will you will I'm like thank you thank
you very much thank you