What House of Gucci Made Up — and Got Exactly Right

Did Paolo Gucci Really Urinate on a Gucci Scarf?

No. But he did desecrate the Gucci legacy by trying to launch his now fashion line under the name “Paolo Gucci.” It was widely regarded to be less tasteful than the more famous Gucci products.

Bentivegna told MovieMaker that in the House of Gucci script, Paolo Gucci was going to burn the scarf his uncle Rodolfo had created, but that Leto had the idea on-set to urinate on the scarf instead. Bentivegna says he loved the idea.

About That Motorcycle Escape

Maurizio really did ride his Kawasaki GPZ motorcycle to Switzerland to evade the Italian financial police, but he didn’t leave Patrizia behind at their home, as seen in the film. In fact, they had split up more than a year before, in 1985, according to Forden’s book.

Also, the motorcycle escape happened in June 1987 — so it probably wasn’t snowing, as it is in the film. But the sight of Adam Driver steering his motorbike through the snow was pretty damn cinematic, so no one’s complaining.

About That Forgery

The film implies that Patrizia was heavily involved in a forgery to help Maurizio avoid paying taxes on his inheritance from Rodolfo. In fact, Maurizio Gucci, not Patrizia Gucci, was charged in the matter, and on Dec. 6, 1989, an Italian court absolved him of wrongdoing. Prosecutors had contended that he had asked an assistant to his secretary to forge Rodolfo’s signature.

Bentivegna says he injected Patrizia into scenes she wasn’t really involved in to keep the focus on the Lady Gaga character. “I always saw it as her story,” he told MovieMaker. And I told the story told through her eyes. And on a purely logistical level, you have to have her involved in those in those scenes, in those decisions. It works much more effectively as a Lady Macbeth sort of fable.”

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