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He risked his life. Watch this SELECTED SCENE from the fifth episode of The Assassination of Gianni Versace. | 5 March 2018
Episode stills of Darren Criss and Michael Nouri in episode 7 of The Assassination of Gianni Versace | 1 March 2018
Slash Film wrote:
‘American Crime Story’ Review: ‘Descent’ Begins The Downward Spiral
March 1, 2018
Darren Criss continues to impress with his layered, frantic performance. Some of the best moments of this episode revolve around Criss showing Andrew’s often pathetic desperation – during the party, when he senses David not paying enough attention to him, he attempts to stage a big, flashy scene that doesn’t go according to plan. Watching Criss portray Andrew’s panicked desperation at that moment is remarkable.
Radio Times wrote:
Assassination of Gianni Versace viewers praise Darren Criss for his “gripping” performance as Andrew Cunanan
March 1, 2018
The Assassination of Gianni Versace, the follow-up to 2016’s true crime drama The People vs OJ Simpson, debuted on BBC2 last night – and viewers were blown away by former Glee star Darren Criss’ striking performance.
The second series of American Crime Story centres around the killing of the legendary fashion designer, but his alleged murderer, 27-year-old socialite Andrew Cunanan, is the real focal point, as the show’s writers attempt to build a narrative around the crime and Cunanan’s personal life.
Criss is undoubtedly brilliant in the role, creepy, manipulative and alluring all at once. Fans took to Twitter to lavish him with praise after episode one.
#TheAssassinationofGianniVersace proving to me once again how great an actor @DarrenCriss is and it’s only 28 mins in
— Anna (@annactara) February 28, 2018
Opening ep. of Versace @ACSFX: Wow! Gripping, sharp, stylish & extraordinary performance Darren Criss. @MrRPMurphy amazing! #ACSVersace
— James Burgess (@Jamesfilmcritic) March 1, 2018
I know it's only March but I really can't envision anybody this year giving a better TV performance than @DarrenCriss as Andrew Cunanan. Just scary good. #ACSVersace
— Jase (@jaseeeeeeeeeee) March 1, 2018
[. . . ]
Just finished watching the 1st part on BBC iPlayer. I'm hooked, Darren Criss was superb as Andrew Cunanan
— Mark (@CumOnOver99) March 1, 2018
Enjoyed #acsversace but then I look a good old crime drama. Darren Criss is amazing, Penelope I barely recognised (then she spoke) and Ricky Martin was better than I expected
— Jo-Anne Rowney (@JoAnne_Rowney) February 28, 2018
Dailybreak wrote:
"The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story" Episode 6: It Was Never About Versace, Was It?
March 1, 2018
The portrait of Cunanan, a pathologically lying psychopath wrapped in self-loathing and designer clothes, has been much more compelling. I think a lot of that is owed to Darren Criss for laying on the charisma thick like honey. Finn Wittrock and Cody Fern have also sparkled as two of Cunanan’s friends-turned-murder victims, Jeff Trail and David Madson.
Edge Media Network wrote:
Recapping 'Versace': Episode 6, 'Descent'
Mar. 1, 2018
The show is less an examination of how the fashion designer was murdered but why he was murdered, putting the spotlight on his killer, marvelously portrayed by the dynamic Darren Criss.
Indiewire wrote:
Emmy Predictions 2018: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie
Mar. 1, 2018
Can Darren Criss follow in the footsteps of Courtney B. Vance and Cuba Gooding Jr. in “American Crime Story”?
[. . . ]
Below are IndieWire TV Critic Ben Travers’ predictions for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie (listed in alphabetical order), which will be updated throughout the season. . .
Predicted Nominees:
1. Darren Criss, “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”
2. Benedict Cumberbatch, “Patrick Melrose”
3. Michael B. Jordan, “Fahrenheit 451”
4. Antonio Banderas, “Genius: Picasso”
5. Kyle MacLachlan, “Twin Peaks”
6. Al Pacino, “Paterno”
Digital Spy-UK wrote:
Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story's UK fans stunned by Darren Criss's killer performance
28 February 2018
American Crime Story has finally returned to UK screens, more than two years since it gripped the entire world and won lots of awards with its dramatisation of The People v. O. J. Simpson back in 2016.
[. . . ]
During Wednesday’s UK premiere, Darren Criss’s transformative powerhouse performance as the increasingly-desperate conman-turned-murderer Cunanan was singled out for praise by many BBC Two viewers…
UK people need to tune in to #ACSVersace on @BBCTwo right now. Witness @DarrenCriss giving one of the best performances you'll see on TV all year. pic.twitter.com/Szzz1NM95e
— Melanie (@WaywardFannibal) February 28, 2018
@DarrenCriss is going to win an Emmy for his acting in #ACSVersace. It’s mind-blowingly good pic.twitter.com/Sk9d0CP0ms
— Stanners (@cheesecakebase) February 28, 2018
#ACSVersace Darren Criss is killing it! Super interesting and enticing story, I need more series of American Crime Story!
— Daniel (@ftdanieljames) February 28, 2018
Sorry but #ACSVersace is absolutely outstanding. 100/10 recommend. @DarrenCriss
— Rosie (@rosieedtd) February 28, 2018
Is everyone watching @DarrenCriss do that magic thing he does where just when you think you know about him, he completely changes the game? (Seriously, #ACSVersace @BBCTwo is so completely wonderful. Aesthetically stunning, too).
— Ava Eldred (@ava_eldred) February 28, 2018
#ACSVersace is STUNNING. I totally underestimated Darren Criss...he has magic acting powers
— Erin (@_erinking) February 28, 2018
I am horrified by how much I hate Andrew Cunanan and how much I love @DarrenCriss The two are one = great acting #ACSVersace
— Andrew (@SilverFox0916) February 28, 2018
By the end of the hour, it was clear that The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story has the potential to be appointment television much like its predecessor . . .
[ . . .]
fucking hell this is incredible. More than I dared to dream. #ACSVersace
— Andi (@AndiMcLellan) February 28, 2018
[. . .]
American Crime Story is amazing. The visuals, the acting... I’m hooked. Well done Ryan Murphy, another tv series I’m going to be hooked to #ACSVersace
— Ellenor (@ellenorsworld) February 28, 2018
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story picks up next Wednesday at 9pm on BBC Two. In the US, the series continues tonight at 10pm on FX.
inews-UK wrote:
The Assassination of Gianni Versace, BBC 2, review: ‘A new American Psycho’
February 28, 2018
But it’s Darren Criss who steals the show as the real American Psycho (with plenty of nods to the Mary Harron’s film) dissembling and deceiving with alarming ease, dancing to Phil Collins, his eyes flashing behind his preppy glasses.
USA Today wrote:
TV tonight: 'Survivor' tries to 'reverse the curse' in new season
Feb. 28, 2018
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
FX, 10 ET/PT
Criss’ performance remains unsettling, managing to make Cunanan terrifying even in episodes without scenes of violence.
The Custard TV wrote:
REVIEW: American Crime Story: The Assassination of of Gianni Versace is Bold and brazen
28 February 2018
The second series of American Crime Story couldn’t be more different from the first, and considering the overwhelming success that was The People v O.J, a change in tone and direction is a bold move for the historical drama. However, as the subject matter is entirely different, a new tone is more than warranted here. The Assassination of Gianni Versace is bright, bold and much more reminiscent of previous Ryan Murphy series than The People v O.J ever was, but a compelling script courtesy of London Spy’s Tom Rob Smith — and a remarkable leading performance from Darren Criss — keeps the show from going off-track.
[. . . ]
Telling the story from Cunanan’s perspective is a seriously bold move, but one that pays off — largely due to Criss’s award-worthy performance.
[. . . ]
Whether lying about his profession or his income, Cunanan is always playing a role while simultaneously making himself out to be more important (or perhaps more relevant) than he actually is.
[. . . ]
Considering he’s best known for playing adorable warbler Blaine Anderson in Murphy’s mega-hit series Glee, Criss’s performance in Versace is astounding. Bearing a striking resemblance to the real-life Cunanan, Criss is mesmerising and incredibly unsettling here and, despite the character’s heinous actions, the actor somehow manages to humanise Cunanan, making him more than just your average one-dimensional serial killer.
The Times-UK wrote:
TV review: The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story; Save Me
March 1, 2018
But it is Darren Criss as Andrew Cunanan, the fantasist serial killer who shot Versace in 1997, who is the show’s tour de force. Criss manages just the right blend of camp charisma and obsessive weirdo mendacity as the contrast is made between the fêted designer’s eye-bleeding wealth and the sociopath’s empty life and wardrobe.
Pajaba wrote:
A Little Less Spree Killing, A Little More Coffee and Contemplation
February 28, 2018
Darren Criss is doing an excellent job playing a spiraling narcissistic psychopath, but it’s also driving me straight up a wall watching him.
Also: It's so tragic that 20 years after the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy, Trump proposed the transgender ban. Thank god several (four) federal district courts ordered the military to keep transgender people in the military and to accept transgender recruits. (Appellate courts have upheld the district courts' decisions, and the Trump administration did not appeal to the Supreme Court.) It's also interesting what Finn said about not filming chronologically, although Darren had noted the director did try to film chronologically as much as possible for two episodes (episodes 4 and 5?). I liked that Finn tore the script apart to try to put the scenes in chronological order.Too Fab wrote:
What Finn Wittrock Found 'Admirable' About Darren Criss' 'American Crime Story' Transformation
February 28, 2018
Finn Wittrock gives one of his most powerful performances to date as real life Andrew Cunanan victim Jeff Trail on "The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,"
. . .
The show works backwards. What was your first day of filming? And did you guys film chronologically at all?
No. If there was a way to be the most opposite of chronologically, that's the way we shot it. It was literally all over the place. My first day I think was in the airport when we go to pick up Andrew. And then like the next day or the day after I was getting killed and then the day after that I was on the aircraft carrier. I mean it was like all over the place.
I like tore the script apart and I put all the scenes together in chronological order so that I wouldn't get confused. Like that death scene, is over the course of two episodes, so people were like, 'It's scene 96 in episode four, but it's scene three in episode 5' or actually vice versa. And it's like I don't even know what you're talking about. Tell me where to fall.
[. . . ]
There is a lot of talk about Darren because he just loses himself completely into this role. What was it like seeing the light switch on and him becoming Andrew Cunanan?
It’s so cool because he really did, sort of, it was like a mask he threw on and off when he was in it, when he wasn’t. And I think it was maybe in some way the survival mechanism to not stay in it too much, you know. But it was really admirable to kind of watch him be his sort of buoyant energetic self and then sort of drop in at the drop of a dime to this sociopath. But he hates when you say sociopath. Understandably, because he has to play him.
Your character's storyline, Jeff's storyline, most of your solo episode was about 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' It's crazy to think we're still talking about similar bans, like the transgender ban, 20 years later.
. . . when I first read the script I was like, 'Ahh, it's probably a little dated to talk about 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' And then like a couple weeks later that whole transgender thing came out.
I know you watched the real "48 Hours" Jeff did to prepare. What was it like the first time you watched it and kind of getting into Jeff's frame of mind at the time he filmed it?
You don't see his face. He does allow his voice, but like you don't see him. But you can see read so much off of him because he's so composed, he's such a put together, upright young man you know, who really believes in God and country, like really actually does and has a real patriotic feeling inside of him.
But you can also just tell that he's bursting out of his skin, like right underneath of that composure. So that, I mean I just watched it over and over probably for the physical elements of replicating his voice a little bit and that, but that's just also like hearing him and seeing him, you just really could feel by osmosis kind of internal struggle that was going on inside him
"The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story" airs Wednesdays on FX.
USA Today wrote:
TV tonight: 'Survivor' tries to 'reverse the curse' in new season
Feb. 28, 2018
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
FX, 10 ET/PT
As the series continues moving backward in time, we get to know more about spree killer Andrew Cunanan’s (Darren Criss) backstory and the how he became intertwined with the men he would later kill. Tonight’s episode shows Cunanan at a particularly desperate period of his life and depicts the beginnings of his relationship with David Madson (Cody Fern), with whom he becomes obsessed. Criss’ performance remains unsettling, managing to make Cunanan terrifying even in episodes without scenes of violence.
The Telegraph wrote:
What's on TV tonight: The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story and Rent for Sex
February 27, 2018
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
BBC Two, 9.00pm
Ryan Murphy’s true crime series follows up 2016’s dramatisation of the OJ Simpson trial with the story of serial killer Andrew Cunanan, who murdered at least five people over a three-month period, including the fashion designer Gianni Versace. Murphy and scriptwriter Tom Rob Smith use the word assassination very carefully here: the operatic opening scenes depict Versace (Édgar Ramírez) as a modern-day Medici prince, dispensing cheerful patronage to all in his Miami Beach fiefdom. By contrast, Cunanan (Darren Criss) is portrayed as a man so insecure in his own skin that he is almost physically incapable of telling the truth: “You tell gay people you’re gay and straight people you’re straight,” exclaims an exasperated friend. “I tell people what they need to hear,” comes the too-calm reply.
Both Criss and Ramirez are excellent and there’s strong support from Ricky Martin as Versace’s bewildered live-in boyfriend and a perhaps slightly too-camp Penélope Cruz as Donatella. Smith’s solid script does a good job of juggling various timelines to show how this particular killer came to be. Sarah Hughes
The Body, The Complete HIV/AIDS Resource wrote:
Inside 'The Assassination of Gianni Versace's' Story of High Fashion, Homicide and HIV
February 28, 2018
The show also includes a very powerful HIV storyline. Gianni Versace is revealed as being HIV positive at a time in history when homophobia and AIDS panic were rampant. Not only is Versace portrayed as HIV positive, he is shown to be at times so weak from advanced sickness that he needs help even to walk. Then, in later scenes, he’s shown to be recovered after (presumably) being put on antiretroviral therapy, which became available in the mid-1990s.
After his recovery, Versace decides to use his new lease on life not only to continue creating fashions but also to come out as gay at a time when not many celebrities were brave enough to do so.
“I was sick, but I didn’t die,” he says in Episode 5 of the show. “I have a second chance. It’s a miracle that I’m alive. And yet, I ask myself every day, what have I done to deserve this? Why am I still here? To be afraid? No. I’m alive, and I must use it.”
The Assassination of Gianni Versace might be the first major media movie or television show to present a person sick with advanced HIV infection and then recovered and vibrant due to the miracle of HIV medications. This is an amazing and important landmark for HIV in film/television, and the storyline is told with a lot of respect for those of us living with the virus. By exploring other aspects of the AIDS crisis and its implications in the aftermath of Versace’s murder, the series shows in living color what it was like to be living in the good ol’ bad ol’ '90s.
I had a phone conversation with award-winning executive producer Brad Simpson and screenwriter and author Tom Rob Smith about the production, the creative process, and the decision to use HIV in the storyline.
[. . .]
Simpson: Gianni Versace was one of the few people who were celebrities who were out [as gay] in the 1990s. It was actually shocking to us. We went back to make a list of who was out pre-Ellen [DeGeneres] coming out, and the list is 5, 6, 7 famous people? No fashion designers.
I think this is a show that only Ryan Murphy could get on the air. Because I like to think that we’re incredibly advanced, but the show is deeply gay and touches on things that you haven’t seen dealt with on TV before. There’s a freedom that Ryan’s success gives to allow us to tell a story like this.
Sanchez: Speaking of things we’ve never seen before, I think it’s the first time I’ve ever seen [on film], from an HIV standpoint, a person with HIV, sick and near death, turning around and becoming miraculously better through medications. What was the process of deciding how to tell that part of the story?
Smith: The reason we told that … it was just very powerful that Versace was very sick in '93-'94 when his symptoms became severe, and it’s debated by the family, so I should put it in as a caveat that the family, they dispute this, but …
Sanchez: I believe in the book it says that, publicly, he had cancer.
Smith: Yeah, that’s right. I think they say “ear cancer,” and we know that is infamous [as code for HIV]. But we do know that he was very sick in '93-'94, that he was on the brink of death, that is uncontested, and we know that he was refusing to submit to this illness. And that he would walk, still, when he was very sick, from his house in Miami to that news kiosk; he would go with Antonio [his partner], and he’d be so weak that Antonio would have to carry the magazines back. I thought it was a remarkably powerful structure [for the script] to have that walk contrasted with the walk when he’s then fully recovered. And he is then, in '97 [when he’s shot], walking to that newsstand, not needing anyone’s help. He’s full of the joy of life in many ways. This medication gave him a rejuvenation.
And it was a great life force, you know, [Versace] was saying: “I want to live, I have so much more to give. I have so much more work, but also in terms of the people I love, my grandchildren, my family. I’m going to cling on to life for as long as I can.” And this new wave of medication came along, and he was saved.
Simpson: There’s something bittersweet about the fact that he thought he was going to die and had been given this new lease on life. There was this generation of men who thought they had a death sentence and then were slowly realizing maybe they didn’t. He was starting to create again, and right at that moment, his life was taken away.
[. . . ]
Simpson: Ryan, you know, obviously did The Normal Heart. We had a lot of conversation in terms of how to portray the AIDS-related illnesses. We’re adapting Maureen’s book, and this is her position that, you know, [Versace] was positive. We felt that to not portray that would be to play into the stigma that still surrounds HIV to this day.
[. . . ]
Smith: One of the reasons we wanted to do this [show] is to attack the stigma [of having HIV]. This stigma is so wrong, and it’s so corrosive. It still exists today; we’re not just talking about something that is historic. We talk [on the show] about the idea that you could build a company that’s worth billions of dollars, be a fashion icon, and that it could be reduced to having no value simply by the factor of an HIV diagnosis. That isn’t an exaggeration. It seems to me to be a real injustice.
Yet, when you look at Gianni Versace’s words, you know, to me it was code. I can’t declare for sure what he was saying, but when he says in the '90s after he recovers from the most severe symptoms, “I’m not going to live my life filled with regret and shame anymore,” to me, that’s him saying: “I’ve recovered, and I’m not just recovered physically. I’m not going to walk around feeling terrible anymore. I’m going to live; I’m going to love.” And I found that very powerful, and I really wanted to capture that.
Such a big fan of his from #AVPM GLEE and #hedwigandtheangryinch and NOW he's got his EP #HOMEWORK and just killed in The Assassination of Gianni Versace #acsversace ! EVERYONE GO CHECK THEM OUT! HE'S SO NICE! #itsabeautifullife
@BBCTwo: “Some people would kill to be famous.” #ACSVersace starts Wednesday 28 February, 9pm, @BBCTwo.
American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace - UK Promo
Pics 1, 2 + 3 - Radio Times
Pics 4 + 5 - TV & Satellite Week
Pic 6 - Total TV Guide
Pic 7 - What’s on TV
From his first episode of #Glee as #BlaineAnderson to his killer performance in #ACSVersace as #AndrewCunanan, it’s been a crazy fun ride with this team 
THANKS @esquire for having us last night! #AWerk #DarrenCriss
Episode stills of Darren Criss, Mike Farrell, Cody Fern and Fin Wittrock in episode 6 of The Assassination Of Gianni Versace (February 20th, 2018) | Source
Inside Look: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell | There’s a story in their secrets. Go behind the scenes with the cast and crew for a look at 90’s prejudice against gays. | 21 February 2018
People wrote:
Darren Criss on Playing Gianni Versace's Murderer: 'It Is My Job to Humanize Him'
February 21, 2018
After years of being known as preppy singer Blaine Anderson on Glee, the actor takes a dark turn in American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace as Andrew Cunanan — the serial killer known for shooting the Italian fashion designer on the steps of his Miami mansion and murdering four other men in 1997.
“I had a friend tell me when I got the part, ‘You’re playing the gay boogeyman,’ ” Criss, 31, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue, on newsstands Friday. “I was like, ‘Excuse me?’ He was like, ‘When he was on the run, we would all spook each other [by saying] Andrew Cunanan is going to come get you.’ The things that are said about him in the show aren’t crazy.”
When it came to playing Cunanan, Criss wanted to make sure he was portraying all of the complex aspects of his character, which included everything from killing in cold blood to singing Laura Branigan’s “Gloria” at the top of his lungs in his car.
“Human beings are so complex,” he says. “We are capable of so many different emotions and the reasons behind those emotions. I’m not asking people to empathize or pardon anything that Andrew has done, but I do like people unconsciously figuring out how much they can relate to this person whether how little or how much.”
He adds: “It is my job to humanize him, but the hope is that we’re not glamorizing anything.”
The series, which is based on journalist Maureen Orth’s book Vulgar Favors, starts with Cunanan’s murder of Versace and moves backward through his killing spree. While viewers have now seen how all of Cunanan’s murders went down, Criss promises that scenes of his younger years are soon to come.
“That was some of the most fun stuff for me,” he says. “With someone like Andrew, I don’t think he had homicidal tendencies as a teenager. He was a lovable, fun, smart, gifted kid and it is confusing and heartbreaking and mortifying for people that knew him at that age to think he’d be capable of something like this later.”
[. . . ]
Since taking on the role of Cunanan, Criss says people started to come up to him to share their stories about him.
“When he was alive, he literally was everywhere in the sense that he knew people, people knew him and he made himself the life of the party,” Criss says. “Even after he gained this degree of infamy that augmented his persona, people would have stories about him or think they saw him.”
Though the show has been met with its fair share of controversy — the Versace family slammed it as a “work of fiction” in January — Criss says he can understand why.
“I don’t blame anybody for having any reaction to this,” he says. “I mean, that’s their family member on TV. It’s completely understandable. You just hope the work speaks for itself and some good is brought through this.”
For Criss — who announced his engagement to his longtime girlfriend, Mia Swier, on Jan. 19 — the show’s success couldn’t come at a more exciting time.
“Some actors have to wait a lifetime for this kind of stuff,” he says. “This happened exactly when and how I would have liked it to happen in my life.”
He continues: “I just hope I don’t blow it from here!”
American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace airs Wednesdays (10 p.m. ET) on FX.
Darren Criss Army wrote:Episode 4 of the Assassination of Gianni Versace gains 0.5 in the 18-49 demo for a total of 0.8 in the 18-49 demo in Live+3 ratings.
TV by the Numbers wrote:
‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ and ‘Curse of Oak Island’ top cable Live +3 ratings for Feb. 5-11
February 19, 2018
Top 25 cable shows (including ties) in Live +3 adults 18-49 for Feb. 5-11, 2018
Jeremy wrote:
The series could get less dramatic until now, as we have already seen all the murders.
(I mean, the fact that we know they will be murdered by Cunanan will cast a dark, dark cloud that remains at the back of our minds, but still, I hope we get an opportunity to see the characters in how they were living their lives during this time period, before their deaths. Each of these victims of Cunanan left a legacy of good, and I like to think that this will be given its due--given the attention that it deserves.)
Stills of Darren Criss and Finn Wittrock in Episode 5 of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story | 9 February 2018
acsversace-news wrote:
Episode 2 of the Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story drew in a total of 3.41 million viewers and a 1.1 in the 18-49 demo in L+7 ratings.
TV by the Numbers wrote:
‘Waco’ premiere doubles in cable Live +7 ratings for Jan. 22-28
February 8, 2018
Vanity Fair wrote:
American Crime Story: The Truth Behind That Surprising Musical Cameo
February 7, 2018
Yeah—the lyrics “you can’t go on thinking nothing’s wrong” seem pretty appropriate here. I wanted to ask for your take on what Darren Criss is giving in that scene as he listens to the song. We see Andrew overwhelmed by emotion—what emotion do you think that is?
Simpson: When Tom was writing it, I think he wanted to have two things going on. It’s a turning point in the episode. For David, he’s looking out the window of the bathroom and realizing that he’s trapped with Andrew. Maybe he could climb through the window and maybe he couldn’t, but he returns to Andrew. One of the things that’s happening for Andrew in that scene—and it’s one of the few times so far that we’ve seen any real emotion—the way Dan Minahan directed [Darren] to play it, and the way that Tom had written it, was the idea of: you’re watching the singer, David’s gone to the bathroom, and you’re feeling this sense of loss. You think he may have escaped. But either way, there’s an undercurrent of dread that you may have lost him no matter what. Darren wanted to get psyched up and do it in one take—you know, the slow push in that ends with him crying. And we gave him the space that he needed, and just did the long, slow push into the tear, and then he follows up with such joy.
Darren Criss attends the 8th Annual Guild of Music Supervisors Awards at The Theatre at Ace Hotel on February 8, 2018 in Los Angeles, California
Decider wrote:
‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story’ Episode 4 Recap: Drive
Feb. 8, 2018
But I’m saving my final praise for Darren Criss as Andrew one more time. Not just for the delicate balance he must strike around David between unpredictable violence and careful reassurance throughout the episode, nor even for his final act of tenderness toward his victim (who’d hallucinated a reunion with his father before dying) — curling up with the corpse for a last embrace before driving away. No, the highlight here is the endless closeup on Criss/Cunanan’s face as he listens to a roadhouse performance of the Cars’ “Drive” by guest star Aimee Mann while his beloved victim sneaks off to the men’s room, debating whether or not to try and flee. He breaks before your eyes, there’s no other way to put it, and he does so over the same sentiment David will eventually express to him, getting himself killed in the process: “You can’t go on thinking nothing’s wrong.”
Birth. Movies. Death wrote:
THE ASSASSINATION OF GIANNI VERSACE Review: “House By The Lake”
Feb. 09, 2018
Criss continues to earn every ounce of praise that’s been heaped upon his performance as Cunanan this season - alternating from chilly, black-eyed stares, to callously dancing in the car to “Pump Up the Jam”, to cuddling with Madson’s body on the shore after he shoots him in the back.
As Andrew takes David’s hand in the middle of that dive, and the two listen to a shitty cover of The Cars’ “Drive”, we see Madson momentarily understand this lonely, desperate psychopath. Through all the abuse, punishment and (ultimately) death Cunanan doles out to this equal, the same struggle with loneliness and rejection can be found in his eyes.
TV Guide wrote:
The Assassination of Gianni Versace Actor Explains Why David Madson Didn't Run
Feb. 7, 2018
As Ryan Muphy did with The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Versace makes decades-old events, the outcomes of which are already public knowledge, feel like they’re happening in the exact moment. Darren Criss’ intoxicating performance makes Jeff’s murder and David’s unforced captivity urgent and believable too — so much so that it’s almost impossible to watch the scenes play out and not hope, scream or pray that David runs.
Towleroad wrote:
‘American Crime Story’ Goes On A Gruesome Road Trip Without Gianni [RECAP]
February 8, 2018
It was a tense hour-plus of television, anchored once again by a chilling performance from Darren Criss. (Give this boy an Emmy nom, folks, he’s quite literally killing it.)
The Tracking Board wrote:
AMERICAN CRIME STORY Review: “House By the Lake”
February 8, 2018
Next week I assume we will flash back earlier than Minneapolis, though I also understand if the writers take us back to the present to show us what is going on with the Versaces post-death. But I am really digging this criminal profile of Cunanan and how they are unfolding it. I almost would be okay with the rest of the episodes were just surrounding him (Darren Criss is killing it, in more way than one). But I finally get what they are doing and am completely on board after being hesitant the first few weeks.
Slash Film wrote:
‘American Crime Story’ Review: ‘House By the Lake’ Tells a Tragic Tale
February 8, 2018
As always, Darren Criss’ performance as Andrew remains a highlight, but Andrew has grown more and more despicable and detestable as the season has continued, which ultimately makes spending time with him distasteful. It’s a very tough balancing act, and Criss pulls it off for the most part. But there’s only so much we can take. A shot near the end of Andrew cuddling David’s dead body is particularly blood curdling.
Yahoo News! UK wrote:
'The Assassination of Gianni Versace' Episode 4 recap: Toxic friendship
7 February 2018
For the past two weeks we’ve seen Andrew Cunanan embody every gay fear and insecurity (both society’s and gay peoples’ own) and use his warped mind to destroy upstanding, good men. Good men, the kind he could never be and never would be. A smarter person than me could write an articulate essay about how Cunanan was a product of his time, or a symbol, or whatever. But the more important take-away from these two episodes, I think, was the greatness and dignity of Lee Miglin and David Madson. Though Cunanan ultimately wielded the tools by which they died, The Assassination of Gianni Versace wants to remind us that the world they existed in was at the very least complicit. It’s a dark thought, but a necessary one. And that’s how a show as complicated and frankly stomach-churning as this one is as essential as television gets.
GQ India wrote:
American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace is the TV show to follow right now
Feb. 8, 2018
And with the search for Andrew Cunanan, the not-so-charming psychopathic prostitute, comes an inquisition of a homophobic society: The America of the Eighties and Nineties, also the time that the AIDS crisis was at its peak.
[. . . ]
Edward Ramirez’s Gianni is a gentleman, dignified and generous, driven by the pursuit of beauty; Penelope Cruz’s Donatella molded in granite compared to him, enchanting, persistent, business-minded; Ricky Martin slightly over-doing the heartbroken ‘partner’, but it works. And Darren Criss, magnificent as the beautiful and grotesque Cunanan, oozing charm and becoming whatever people wanted him to be, saying whatever they wanted to hear.
Over nine episodes, the show will show us all five murders, and countless other petty crimes of Cunanan’s. And it’s pretty hard stuff: such as the scene just after Cunanan’s finished with Lee Miglin in the third episode, “A Random Killing”, . . . . It’s nausea-inducing stuff, but there’s other, more to make you queasy: Like that scene described at the beginning of this piece; Or when suits at the FBI office discussing the murders confuse Versace with Liberace; or when the cop interrogating Antonio D’Amico refuses to ‘comprehend’ what he means by being Gianni’s ‘partner’. Makes you think the ‘assassination’ in the title isn’t just for dramatic effect, after all.
Of course, there’s a lot of attention to detail in re-creating that Nineties atmosphere – the discotheques and La Bouche thumping through sunny, progressive Miami’s streets and Speedo-dotted-beaches and denim cut-off shorts. But who has time for nostalgia when there’s a murderer on the prowl; and a tabloid-hooked society bent on keeping the closet locked?
Rogues Portal wrote:
TV Review: The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story S02E02 “Manhunt”
February 8, 2018
Andrew Cunanan’s American Psycho-lite presentation is both aesthetically interesting and completely horrifying. The show seems to even quote Michael Mann’s Manhunter when Andrew emerges from the bathroom, face taped up like the man he picked up earlier. It’s important to display those awful elements and keep into perspective that, even though Andrew seems to be the centre of the series, he was a monster. The moments when he isn’t performing are morbidly intriguing. Darren Criss shines in every scene, but there’s something deeper when we see Andrew being Andrew. When he’s doggedly trying to track down Versace. Or, when he says this to a man at the club who just wanted to know what he does:
I’m a serial killer… I said, ‘I’m a banker’. I’m a stockbroker. I’m a shareholder. I’m a paperback writer. I’m a cop. I’m a naval officer. Sometimes I’m a spy. I build movie sets in Mexico and skyscrapers in Chicago. I sell propane in Minneapolis. I import pineapples from the Philippines. You know, I’m the person least likely to be forgotten. I’m Andrew Cunanan.
Inside Look: Miami | Everything was happening in 1990’s Miami. Get an inside look at the setting of The Assassination of Gianni Versace with the cast and crew. | 9 February 2018
americancrimestoryfx: That’s the truth. #ACSVersace
edgarramirez25: ”Todo fue una mentira. Esa es la verdad”. Esta noche van a conocer el increíble talento de @codyfern - sentado a la izquierda y cuyo trabajo no pueden perder de vista - quién junto al maravilloso @darrencriss logran uno de los capítulos más impactantes y conmovedores de la serie. No se lo pierdan esta noche en toda #Latinoamerica por @canalfx
“It all was a lie. That’s the truth”. Tonight you will meet the incredible talent of @codyfern - sitting on the left and whose work you can’t lose sight of- who along side the wonderful @darrencriss achieve one of the most impressive and moving episodes of the series. Do not miss it tonight in all #Latinoamerica by @canalfx #acsversaceenfx #acsversace
katwirsing: I [camera emoji] @darrencriss for @esquire
. . .
#versace #americancrimestory
#Repost @esquire
・・・
“I know what it’s like to want to stand out. Andrew [Cunanan] had that too, but we had different reasons.” — #ACSVersace’s own @DarrenCriss explains how he found humanity in the sociopathic killer he plays on TV at the link in our bio. [camera emoji] @katwirsing for Esquire.com. Styling by @mrjonathanevans.
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