Jeremy Irons is fascinated by dysfunctional dynasties. He is telling me about his new film, Ridley Scott’s opulent two-and-a half hour long House of Gucci, in which he plays the dapper patriarch Rodolfo Gucci, and its parallels with contemporary clans in turmoil. “Here we are, a family that has everything — the Guccis thought they were royalty in Italy and they were in a sense, leading the most important industry,” begins the actor, 73, in his mischievous baritone voice that is recognisable from a huge range of films, from The French Lieutenant’s Woman to The Man in the Iron Mask. “Then somebody comes along and through their deep unhappiness creates chaos — and someone gets killed. It is a story we have seen in many guises. Look at the TV show Succession, The Murdochs, our royal family — there are elements of the Gucci story in all of their trajectories.”
He has compared Lady Gaga’s character Patrizia Reggiani, the woman who marries Rodolfo’s son Maurizio and eventually arranged his murder, to Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. “I sometimes think Meghan is a bit of a Patrizia. She’s moving into a different way of life, a different class, a different nationality and trying to do her best and it is not working, which I think is a huge shame for our monarchy. That’s a parallel story.” But he won’t be drawn on that too much, merely saying that what happened with to the Guccis “is not an uncommon story”.
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