When Beauty Turns Ugly.
Lady Gaga, I couldn’t agree with you more. It is not viable to create art in order to satisfy others or gain admiration. Instead of being enthusiastic about your profession, you’re fundamentally passionate about getting people to adore you. I know I went off the rails as an artist for a spell when I became concerned with what would make people like me. Then I revolted, for why should I follow a shifting North Star?
SCOTT No, absolutely not. Nothing beats achievement for making you feel good in the morning, right? At the same time, if you receive a clip or a hit, don’t let it bother you. Move on if you like what you did.
I’ve experienced ups and downs during my career. When you said “Blade Runner,” I was thinking about my album “Artpop” and how they released reviews before it even came out. People may write whatever they want because of free speech, even if it’s falsehoods, yet it’s still one of my most critically lauded albums years later.
We have no clue what our film will do once it is out, but it doesn’t matter since we know we did something special. When you’re lucky enough to be in one of his films, as I was, you know it’s going to be something you remember for the rest of your life.
You have a soft spot in your heart for Ridley.
GAGA Ridley is my absolute favourite. I had the impression he was keeping an eye on me. He could see me becoming more and more into this role all the time, and he used to remark, “You good, dude? “Are you all right?” I’d respond with whatever was true, and he’d always remark, “Whatever this is, I hope you leave it here.”
So, how did you feel when you had to leave Patrizia and everything behind?
Lady Gaga, To be honest, I was eager to let go. She’s a wonderfully difficult person, and being in survival mode all the time — and she was always in survival mode — generates such a continual sense of trauma. I tossed away my smokes on the aircraft back from Italy. I put out the liquor, moved to Los Angeles, and straightened up my life because I couldn’t live that way any longer. Because it was killing her, it was killing me.
And how does it feel to be able to be yourself again?
Lady Gaga, It’s quite moving. I joke with Ridley all the time, but when I left set, I went through some sort of attachment crisis because I missed him so much. I felt the same way Patrizia did: a life without Gucci was not worth living. Being a Gucci was the best time of her life, and now that I’m finished with this film, I can tell you that being a Gucci was the best time of my life. That’s how art and life intersect. Ridley’s life is a work of beauty, and you’re blessed to be a part of it.