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House of Gucci dialect coach on Lady Gaga’s accent: ‘It sounds more Russian’

The film arrives later this month

Elizabeth Aubrey
Tuesday 16 November 2021 06:39 GMT
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Salma Hayek 'made fun' of Lady Gaga's method acting while filming House of Gucci

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A dialect coach from Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci has said Lady Gaga’s accent “sounds more Russian” in a new interview.

Ridley Scott’s drama stars Gaga as Patrizia Reggiani, who was convicted of orchestrating the assassination of her ex-husband and former head of the Gucci fashion house, Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver). Reggiani served 16 years in prison for the crime. Other cast members include Al Pacino, Jared Leto and Salma Hayek.

Italian actor and dialect coach Francesca De Martini, who was hired to work as a dialogue coach with Hayek, said she didn’t hear an Italian accent from Gaga in the film.

Speaking to The Daily Beast, De Martini said: “I feel bad saying this, but her accent is not exactly an Italian accent, it sounds more Russian.

De Martini said Hayek personally requested a dialogue coach after her first day of filming. “I think she heard the accent wasn’t right and she was worried – she wanted to do well.

Speaking about when she heard Gaga on set, De Martini added: “I was noticing when I was on set, because I had earphones working with Salma and hearing what she was saying so I could help her to get it right, so I could hear Lady Gaga as well.”

House of Gucci trailer

Lady Gaga recently said her role in the film took a toll on her.

Speaking to British Vogue, Gaga said: “I had some psychological difficulty at one point towards the end of filming. I was either in my hotel room, living and speaking as Reggiani, or I was on set, living and speaking as her.”

The Oscar winner added: “I remember I went out into Italy one day with a hat on to take a walk. I hadn’t taken a walk in about two months and I panicked. I thought I was on a movie set.”

Additionally, Gaga detailed all of the preparation she did to get into the role: “It was nearly impossible for me to speak in the accent as a blonde. I instantly had to dye my hair, and I started to live in a way whereby anything that I looked at, anything that I touched, I started to take notice of where and when I could see money.”

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“I will be fully honest and transparent: I lived as her for a year and a half. And I spoke with an accent for nine months of that. Off camera, I never broke. I stayed with her.”

House of Gucci is scheduled for release in the US and the UK on 24 November and 26 November, respectively, with this year marking the 100th anniversary of the creation of the house of Gucci.

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