Gucci Family Lashes out About ‘Ugly’ Family Depiction in Upcoming ‘House of Gucci’ Movie

The upcoming movie House of Gucci is currently filming in Italy, with the Ridley Scott-directed flick set to share a take on Italian socialite Patrizia Reggiani, who was accused of planning the murder-for-hire of her ex-husband Maurizio Gucci, grandson of Gucci’s founder Guccio Gucci. On Wednesday, One of Maurizio’s second cousins, Patrizia Gucci, discussed the film with The Associated Press, sharing that the Gucci family does not approve of the movie.

“We are truly disappointed. I speak on behalf of the family,” Patrizia said. “They are stealing the identity of a family to make a profit, to increase the income of the Hollywood system….Our family has an identity, privacy. We can talk about everything. but there is a borderline that cannot be crossed.”

Patrizia said she reached out to Scott’s wife, Giannina Facio, for clarification on the scope of the film, but has not received any reply. In the early 2000s, Facio met with members of the Gucci family to discuss another project that would focus on the brand’s expansion into a global luxury player, and Patrizia explained that Facio’s lack of contact in relation to the new film only heightens the family’s concerns.

She also took issue with some of the casting choices, specifically the casting of top actors to play family members whose stories have little to do with Maurizio’s murder. She pointed to set photos of Al Pacino, who is playing Aldo Gucci, and Jared Leto, cast as Paolo Gucci. “My grandfather was a very handsome man, like all the Guccis, and very tall, blue eyes and very elegant,” Patrizia said. “He is being played by Al Pacino, who is not very tall already, and this photo shows him as fat, short, with sideburns, really ugly. Shameful, because he doesn’t resemble him at all.”

Photos of Leto showed him with unkempt hair and wearing a lilac corduroy suit, which Patrizia deemed, “Horrible, horrible. I still feel offended.” The movie is based upon Sara Gay Forden’s book The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed, and Patrizia said her family believes that the book contains inaccuracies.

House of Gucci stars Lady Gaga as Reggiani and Adam Driver as Maurizio Gucci. The movie centers on the 1995 murder of Maurizio and the subsequent trial and conviction of his ex-wife, who spent 16 years in prison for contracting the crime.