We’ve known that Lady Gaga is a superstar for years now. But as she expands her repertoire and her acting career, we’re learning more about her hidden talents. The most recent addition to her roster? Dialogue improvisation -- and not just any dialogue, but one of the most memorable lines in House of Gucci.
In Ridley Scott’s new crime drama, Lady Gaga plays Patrizia Reggiani, the ex-wife of Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver), who was convicted of hiring a hitman to kill him in 1995. The film depicts the Italian socialite as ambitious, tenacious, uncompromising to the point of extremes. As soon as audiences saw their first glimpse of Gaga in the film’s trailer, it was clear her performance would be unforgettable. Especially after hearing her utter the line, “Father, son, and House of Gucci.”
The songstress' delivery alone, which sees her doing the sign of the cross with a deadly serious look on her face, was enough to send the internet into a frenzy. That was before we knew its origins, too. At the new movie's Los Angeles premiere, the Oscar winner confessed to Variety that the line was the result of an ad-lib. When asked how she came up with it, she said:
I used to do it in the trailer all the time. … I was doing it in the trailer, and something about that scene when we were doing it felt right, and we did it. It's a testament to Ridley Scott as a director, because uses the stuff, he uses the creativity, he uses the love.
She seems pretty humble about the whole thing -- in addition to highlighting Ridley Scott’s role in making the moment happen, she also credited co-star Jared Leto with rolling with it. Even when she was told that it’s now one of the most iconic lines in the history of cinema, she shrugged it off playfully:
I don't know about that, but we’ll find out.
Though the film has yet to release, it's already clear that the actress put a ton of herself into the role, so this makes her contribution to the feature feel more special. She even committed to "living" as Reggiani and staying in character (and in accent) on-and-off screen while filming.
Given all the buzz around her performance and the movie even beyond Lady Gaga’s ad lib, Ridley Scott's latest is certainly shaping up to be one for the history books, even without her now-iconic line. With the high drama of the true story, some members of the Gucci family aren’t thrilled about the way the movie portrays them. Even if the initial reaction from critics (including the film’s dialect coach) weren't universally positive, many have praised Gaga and her co-stars for their electric performances.
House of Gucci hits theaters on November 24th.
