Diksha Sundriyal
Ridley Scott’s ‘House of Gucci’ presents the events surrounding the fall of the eponymous family, particularly focusing on Maurizio Gucci’s murder, ordered by his wife, Patrizia Reggiani. As Patrizia tries to find power and position within the family, she befriends Maurizio’s cousin, Paolo Gucci, who falls victim to her machinations and realizes too late what he has lost because of it. An interesting character in itself, Paolo is made more compelling by Jared Leto’s performance, whose transformation into the role is so jarring that one easily forgets they are watching Leto. This makeover is the result of an hours-long process that required more than just Leto’s acting prowess. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Jared Leto Disappeared Under Prosthetics to Become Paolo Gucci
Jared Leto’s astonishing transformation into Paolo Gucci is primarily thanks to a combination of facial prosthetics, a bald cap, a wig, and a fat suit, which requires approximately six hours to complete. While the actor has gained and lost weight for other roles, he didn’t do so for ‘House of Gucci,’ instead relying on the makeup department’s talent to help him slip into the character’s skin. He collaborated with prosthetics designer Göran Lundström, who created Paolo’s look within a three-week deadline, without even meeting Leto. He referred to Paolo’s pictures and used Leto’s 3D scan to determine how to approach the makeup. While the actor had made it clear that he didn’t want to be recognisable under the makeup, Lundström wanted to make sure that he looked believable as Paolo.
He noted that the actor has a “completely different bone structure,” so instead of making Leto look exactly like Paolo, he tried to “get the personality of Paolo in there.” One of the major challenges he faced was Leto’s long hair, which needed to be hidden under a three-piece bald cap, leading them to spend about an hour and a half covering his hair. Once that was done, they would move on to add the other facial prosthetics, which covered his nose, chin, and ears. Only his eyes and the area around them were left relatively untouched. They would then paint it all, to give it a more realistic look, adding details, like freckles and other imperfections.
Interestingly, because nothing could be pre-painted, they had to go about painting Leto’s heavily prostheticised face every day, which would bring out subtle changes based on the scene and the feeling of the day. In the same vein, the prosthetic pieces were also thrown away at the end of the day, and they’d have to make new pieces every day. Lundström also crafted the pieces in such a way that Leto’s face would become more rounded. Once the face was done, the wig was added to complete the look. The actor had shaved his beard but kept his mustache to integrate it into the look. The process, which took around six hours every day, would require one whole hour to remove after the shoot.
Jared Leto Inhabited the Role Physically and Mentally
Because Jared Leto wanted to disappear into the role, he made sure to enter the set as Paolo, not himself. For this, the makeup was done in a separate location, as opposed to the general practice of applying makeup on sets. However, the actor knew that the makeup wasn’t the only thing that would get him into the role. With the Gucci name, the character’s fashion sense would also be an essential part of who he was, which would be affected by his physicality. To complement the facial makeup, Leto was also given a fatsuit, with a hump as an add-on. This rounded-up physical look allowed the actor to develop the character’s mannerisms, which included everything from the way he walked and talked to dancing and singing. He conducted thorough research on Paolo and the Gucci house to understand the person he was supposed to portray.
He watched Paolo’s interviews and read articles about him. At the end of the day, however, he knew that he had to present his own version of Paolo to the screen, so he let his imagination take over. He also worked on developing an Italian accent and tried to live and breathe as Paolo, even when the camera was not rolling, to bring a sense of authenticity to his portrayal. He expressed a great deal of respect for Paolo and felt grateful for being allowed to share his story. His main aim was to let Paolo completely take him over. Evidently, he succeeded because, reportedly, his co-stars, Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons, didn’t initially recognize him on set. This shows that Leto, Lundström, and the rest of their team’s work bore fruit, yielding a magnificent performance by Paolo in ‘House of Gucci.’
Read More: Where Are Patrizia Reggiani’s Daughters Now?
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