Jared Leto portrays Paolo Gucci in Ridley Scott’s “Brand of Gucci,” the son of Aldo Gucci and the grandson of Guccio Gucci, the founder of the Italian fashion house. Reviews of the actor’s performance were mixed; some believed his persona made for great comic relief, while others thought it came off as a joke that didn’t make people laugh. We might all agree that Leto is unrecognisable despite the fact that there are many criticisms of his accent, tonality, and acting throughout the movie.
Unexpectedly, Leto wasn’t a mystery to only the moviegoers. The “Morbius” actor had to put on many layers of thick makeup and prosthetics when dressing up on set to look the role. Even his co-star Al Pacino, who portrayed his on-screen father Aldo Gucci, could not recognise him when he was transformed into the former head designer of Gucci.
Al Pacino thought Jared Leto was a ‘weirdo’
Uncovering the life and love stories of Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) and Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver) before their marriage went sour and events took a tragic turn, “House of Gucci” reveals the horrific secrets of the Gucci family. Reggiani was sentenced to 18 years in jail after being found guilty of hiring a hitman to kill her husband. Playing the other important members of the Gucci family are Al Pacino and Jared Leto. Leto’s character is rumoured to have contributed to the logo design for the luxury business, while Pacino’s role assisted in the expansion of the fashion company.
Before the movie’s release, Leto talked about his first day on set and how Pacino didn’t recognise him when they first met on the set in an interview with Sirius XM. Leto claims that the seasoned actor ignored him because he assumed he was a fan who wanted to interact with him:
“On the first day of filming, [Pacino] was unaware that I was there when I approached him and introduced myself. And he just sort of ignored me. He assumed that I was simply some strange Italian guy attempting to talk to him or acquire his autograph.”
Pacino was unaware of how Leto was hidden beneath all the makeup, and until the crew informed him of it, he would not acknowledge the actor.
Al Pacino was astounded at the big reveal
Jared Leto made a concerted effort to introduce himself to Al Pacino; he approached the “The Godfather” actor a few times before being outed. The “Suicide Squad” actor was comforted by the actor’s disbelief; he could not believe it was Leto. He reasoned that if Al Pacino believed in his role, then the viewer would too:
“I approached him twice or three times until someone eventually said, “That’s Paulo, that’s Jared under there,” to which he responded, “My kid! My son!” and collapsed to the ground. Being able to experience it with one of the best performers in the world was a wonderful gift, and he was simply stunned. It gave me confidence in the idea that if Al can have faith in this person, then so can we all.”
Leto became more assured in his performance as a result of Pacino’s scepticism; the actor is now interested in acting in a prequel to the movie. One of the main plotlines in “House of Gucci” is the strained father-son relationship between Aldo and Paulo. While the movie focuses on Patrizia’s uncontrollable obsession with “More money! More clothes!” and how manipulating her family members becomes second nature to her, this relationship is one of the other major plot points. Leto added that he wants to explore that further with his scene partner:
I really loved working with him, and it gave me a confidence boost early on. I’d want to make a prequel to “The House of Gucci.”
Leto’s desire to see a “House of Gucci” prequel is still unfulfilled, but it may be interesting to see more of their contentious relationship.
Uncovering the life and love stories of Patrizia Reggiani (