Brunette Gina Gershon seemed to be an unlikely choice to play fashion designer Donatella Versace, what with her dark features and chestnut brown hair.
However, all it takes is a skilled make-up artist, and the transformation is complete; Gershon's surprising transformation from a brunette to the tanned, pouty blonde is captivating, as well as convincing.
According to makeup artist Kathy Kelso, Gershon's nose was reshaped using a highlight and shadow, and cotton had to be stuffed under the actress' lips to make it resemble Versace's trademark pout. The actress also had to wear a very long, platinum blonde wig to complete her transformation.
"There was a lot of eyeshadow," Gina Gershon, 51, said of how she achieved her transformation.
Gina Gershon will play Donatella Versace in an upcoming original TV movie based on Wall Street Journal reporter Deborah Ball's House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder, and Survival. It chronicles the aftermath of the 1997 murder of Donatella's brother, Gianni Versace, thrusting her into the spotlight as Versace's new head designer, subsequently struggling with drug abuse and nearly bringing the company to bankruptcy, only to relaunch the brand and create one of the most successful fashion empires of today.
Gina Gershon states that it was a challenging role to play, as the 58 year old designer was very different from her physically, in movement and posture and the manner of speaking. She also says that she worked with a voice coach and studied various videos to emulate Donatella's Italian accent.
The TV movie will be directed by Sarah Sugarman (who directed Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen), and will also star Raquel Welch as Donatella Versace's Aunt Lucia, Veronica Mars' Enrico Colantoni as Gianni Versace, and Colm Feore as older brother and co-CEO of the famed Versace designer label.
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