He won our hearts as Glee‘s Blaine Anderson, and now Darren Criss has returned to the small screen, joining Penelope Cruz, as Gianni Versace’s killer Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.
And the role officially has us scared out of our skin.
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“He is terrifying,” the 31-year-old, who recently got engaged to his producer partner Mia Swier tells OK!.
“But he’s a complex character. It’s a killer role – in every sense.”
Here, we chat to the TV star about all things Versace!
How did you land the job?
Well, it kind of came to me on a plate.
[Director and screenwriter] Ryan Murphy and I talked about doing this four years ago [the pair first worked together on Glee] and because I share a close likeness to Andrew Cunanan – plus we’re both half Filipino and we were both around the same age – we’d talked about me playing the part. I said, “When you’re ready to go, I’m in.”
I’m forever indebted to Ryan for having faith in me to do this role.
Was it intimidating to take on a character who’s a real person?
Yes, kind of.
I was really keen not to do an Andrew Cunanan imitation act, even though nobody really knows much about him.
The other actors like Penélope Cruz and Edgar [Ramirez, who plays Gianni] had to tread that line more carefully than I did because their characters are so well known.
What was it like working with Ricky Martin?
He’s awesome. He’s such a great actor, too, and I think that’s because as a performer, he knows how to connect. He has a fast lane to the human heart.
Did you meet him on the set of Glee?
No, but I knew he was a great actor and he did not surprise me on Versace either – he did such a wonderful job.
And what about Penélope?
We never got to do any scenes together, but it was incredible to be around her and watch her work. It was a real compliment she chose a Ryan Murphy show to be her first TV work – and I’m pinching myself that I got to share it with her. To be around people you truly admire and find they live beyond your expectations, it’s the dream.
For more about The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, pick up a copy of OK! Magazine, on sale now!
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