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Gianni Versace's Real Boyfriend Dismisses American Crime Story as 'Not A Trace of Reality'
Ryan Murphy's hit anthology series has come under fire from Antonio D'Amico, Versace's real former lover.
Since being shot outside his Ocean Drive home in Miami in 1997, Gianni Versace's murder has been the subject of much sensational journalism and speculation--most recently as the topic of Ryan Murphy's upcoming second installment of his FX hit American Crime Story.
In the series, Versace's former lover of 15 years, Antonio D'Amico, who finds the fashion mogul slain on their front steps, is played by superstar Ricky Martin. But in a recent interview with The Observer, the real D'Amico has now spoken out that images of the show he's seen are far from the truth.
"The picture of Ricky Martin holding the body in his arms is ridiculous," D'Amico said. "Maybe it's the director's poetic licence, but that is not how I reacted. There has been so much written and said about the murder, and thousands of suppositions, but not a trace of reality."
Martin described a scene from the show in an interview last June where he and Versace, played by Edgar Ramirez, walk down the beach as Versace grows weak. Martin tries to touch his lover, who barks, "Don't touch me! The paparazzi!"
Related | First Look: Penelope Cruz is Bronzed & Blonde as Donatella Versace
D'Amico, however, has said the real Versace never tried to hide his homosexuality. "We lived like a natural couple, there was never a problem. It was the right moment for him to come out in public, but everyone involved in our world knew. He never tried to hide who he was."
D'Amico says the show has never consulted him about Versace's death, but that he remembers the day, drinking coffee on the veranda, and hearing the gunshot. He went outside to investigate with the butler.
"The house had stained glass windows so we couldn't see what had happened from inside, so we had to open the gate," he said. "I saw Gianni lying on the steps, with blood around him. At that point, everything went dark. I was pulled away, I didn't see any more."
He says the murder sent him spiralling into a deep depression, but that he's had to move on from it after years of healing.
"Sincerely, after two decades, I will always be connected to Gianni as a person I loved for more than 15 years," D'Amico said. "But today, I am a different person... the world continues to go around... You can look back at the past until a certain point, [but] then you need to look ahead to the future."
