House of Gucci was a 2021 film by veteran director Ridley Scott about the… well, house of Gucci. Starring Lady Gaga, Jared Leto, Al Pacino, and several others in an ensemble, the film was simply iconic.
Based on the real story of the Gucci family and the lies, betrayals, backstabbing, and murders that took place in the 1980s, House of Gucci might just be the closest thing to reality but people have their problems with it.
Al Pacino Portrayed The Role of Aldo Gucci
In the film, Aldo Gucci is the son of Guccio Gucci (who was the founder of the company). Under the direction of Gucci, the company became worldwide and a symbol of the Dolce Vita period in Italy.
However, in the 1980s, several backstabbing, lies, deceits, and murders forced the family to be ousted by the company in 1993. Veteran director Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci is simply a brutal reminder of that fact and that time period.
The Godfather actor Al Pacino was chosen for the role of Aldo Gucci and he portrayed it beautifully. However, the actual descendants of Aldo Gucci revealed to Total Film that the portrayal was utterly insulting.
[Al Pacino’s portrayal] was shameful, because he doesn’t resemble him [Aldo Gucci] at all. [Pacino was] fat, short, with sideburns, really ugly.
Well, Ridley Scott did not take too kindly to these comments as he shared his thoughts with Total Film. The director has been finding some trouble with historical accuracies but House of Gucci wasn’t one of them.
This wasn’t the only case of criticism as other heirs of Aldo Gucci also hailed the film as very insensitive. Speaking to Vanity Fair, the actual Gucci family shared their thoughts about the film.
The film’s production did not bother to consult the heirs before describing Aldo Gucci—president of the company for 30 years [played by Al Pacino]—and the members of the Gucci family as thugs who were ignorant and insensitive to the world around them.
Upon hearing all of these comments, Scott finally had enough. In his interview, the director sat down to talk about the 2021 film and how people’s perception was quite wrong.
The director didn’t use a formal tone at all. While defending veteran actor Al Pacino, Scott had some remarks that could be considered borderline offensive as the director found himself in attack mode.
What Ridley Scott Had To Say To The Gucci Family
As the interview further continued, Ridley Scott had no choice but to go on the offense here. With people complaining about Al Pacino’s portrayal, Scott stepped up and defended the actor and his film.
The Gladiator director revealed that the portrayal was accurate with respect to the history books and that there was simply no one better than Pacino who could have portrayed the role.
The people that were writing from the family to us at the onset were alarmingly insulting, saying that Al Pacino did not represent physically Aldo Gucci in any shape or form
He further continued,
And yet, frankly, how could they be better represented than by Al Pacino? Excuse me! You probably have the best actors in the world, you should be so f*cking lucky.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you go on the offense while your film is under question. Starring several iconic actors, House of Gucci was considered an average success at the time of its release.
The film currently stands at a rating of 6.6/10 on IMDB and an average of 62% on Rotten Tomatoes. The iconic film is available to rent on Apple TV+ in the U.S.
