Salma Hayek enjoyed the time she spent working with Lady Gaga on the set of the highly-anticipated House of Gucci.
Ahead of the U.S. premiere of the Ridley Scott-directed film, which made its debut in London on Tuesday, November 9, Hayek, who played the role of Giuseppina "Pina" Auriemma, took part in an interview with Variety, during which she spoke of the professional relationship she developed with her singer co-star, who was cast in the lead role of Patrizia Reggiani.
Before Filming Began
As fans of Gucci may know, Reggiani was accused of arranging the murder of her former husband, Gucci heir Maurizio Gucci, who is played in the film by Adam Driver, in 1995, and doing it with the help of Hayek’s character, Auriemma.
Looking back at her early moments with Gaga, Hayek said she could tell from Day 1 that Gaga was taking the role extremely seriously.
“We were talking on the phone and she was already Patrizia. … Her accent was perfect,” Hayek said of their communication before filming actually began.
Battling COVID-19
“I think we had a lot of fun reliving scenes that are not even in the movie and she is the ultimate professional, and I could not wait to get on that set. We really couldn’t wait to get on the set and just do it and do it together and play off of each other,” Hayek recalled.
According to Hayek, she returned to work earlier this year to film House of Gucci after being dealt with a bad case of COVID-19
“It was the perfect job to just get back into it,” she noted.
And, once she and Gaga came face to face on set, Hayek was thrilled with the singer’s demeanor, describing her as "incredibly talented, incredibly smart."
Working With Lady Gaga
"And she has on top of all that, extra abilities that not every brilliant actor has, which is she’s good with the accent,” Hayek continued. “Of course, she has an amazing ear. She is extraordinary improvising, and not everybody has that. She really embodies the character. Her level of commitment — I’ve only seen maybe once or twice somebody commit to a character like she does. And she’s also a great team player.”
In addition to enjoying her time with Gaga, Hayek was also honored to work with Scott.
“I was expecting nothing but the best from Ridley, so it would have been hard to be surprised in any way, but what I was not expecting is how much fun it is to work with him.”
Hayek Gained Weight for Her Role
"He is a lot of fun on the set. And how much freedom, you feel a lot of freedom and you feel so safe. His attention to detail, nothing misses his eye — nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing. From before doing the scenes and also during the scenes, he misses nothing,” Hayek said of Scott.
Also during the interview, Hayek admitted to having fun adding weight for her role.
“I was in Italy and it was like a dream come true,” she shared. “You’re in Rome and you’re in a movie and it’s the rounder you are, the better it is for your character. That to me was nirvana."
House of Gucci hits theaters in the U.S. on November 24, 2021.
]]>The Inquisitr
