From the moment photos of Lady Gaga hurling a calzone toward Adam Driver’s mouth emerged earlier this year, the world has been enraptured with House of Gucci. On Thursday, following months of speculation and memeification, MGM finally released the film’s first official character posters—a series of images that warrant immediate analysis.
Like any great work of art, all who encounter these posters will infer a different meaning. Do the actors resemble the cast of a Clue–themed murder-mystery party? Or maybe Gaga’s costars look as if they either wish to offer you legal compensation in a class action lawsuit, or the deal of a lifetime on a used car?
The Ridley Scott–directed biopic centers on the murder of Maurizio Gucci (played by Driver), grandson of fashion-house founder Guccio Gucci. His killing was orchestrated by his ex-wife, Patrizia Reggiani (played by Gaga), who was convicted in 1998 of arranging his assassination. Despite the film’s star-studded cast, including Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Jared Leto, Jack Huston, Reeve Carney, and Salma Hayek, the Gucci family has expressed colorful disappointment in the film’s existence.
Even if these posters are plastered around my neighborhood, pixelated across my lock screen, and forever played on a loop in my dreams, my eyes would not grow tired of them. Ahead, a shot-by-shot examination of the House of Gucci posters as we await its release on November 24.
Who is that peeking out from under a delicate black veil? That would be Gaga in full lead-actor mode, following her Oscar-winning turn in A Star Is Born. (Though I probably don’t need to remind you that she won for original song, not her performance.) This look embodies a day rifling through overpriced vintage clothing in Brooklyn—from her seashell-inspired statement necklace to the jewel-encrusted brooch. Gaga’s brooding aura is also reminiscent of Barbra Streisand singing “My Man” at the end of Funny Girl, if that movie were about Fanny Brice plotting to murder Nicky Arnstein.
Fresh off his internet-breaking performance as a centaur in Burberry’s new fragrance ad, Driver is stepping into a more humanistic role. This look offers 50 shades of blue—including cobalt-colored irises, a striped navy suit, and a mismatched tie (printed with…semicolons?). Driver may look like a buttoned-up character in a Wes Anderson movie, but his first Oscar could come from working with Ridley Scott as this doomed fashion heir.
No stranger to a jarring onscreen makeover (see Dallas Buyers Club and Suicide Squad), Leto has shocked again with his latest transformation. There’s a lot to dissect in this poster—from Leto’s prosthetic nose to the single white rose resting on his lapel. The new aesthetic has drawn comparisons to a number of other famous men, including Paul Giamatti, Jeffrey Tambor, Gene Hackman, and even Phil McGraw. Leto will have to win over not only House of Gucci audiences, but Patrizia Gucci herself, who told the Associated Press that it was “horrible” of the film to cast him as her father Paolo: “I still feel offended.”
This look is Dustin Hoffman’s sleazy movie producer in Wag the Dog meets Stanley Tucci’s chic art director in The Devil Wears Prada. Quite frankly, the ascot, facial hair, and meticulous eyewear positioning have caused some confusing feelings about Irons to emerge. To portray Rodolfo, Irons reportedly replaced Robert De Niro, an actor who would’ve brought a decidedly different energy to the role.
More than any of the other actors here, Pacino is instantly recognizable as his Oscar-winning self. Pacino does, however, sport a pair of aviator sunglasses that are making Joe Biden quake with jealousy. Pacino’s piercing eyes are just visible beneath the shades’ amber tint, suggesting his character’s got a bit of a dark streak. Perhaps his performance will be enough to impress Patrizia Gucci, who called his casting as her grandfather “shameful.”
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