Lady Gaga opens up to us on her role as Patrizia Reggiani, an outsider from humble beginnings, who marries into the Gucci family, and whose ambition triggers a spiral of betrayal, decadence, revenge, and ultimately murder.

INDULGE: Patrizia is such a powderkeg of a woman whose ambition wreaks disaster after her husband inherits half the Gucci fortune. And yet you manage to make us feel sympathy for her! Brava!

GAGA: Before they see the film, some people might think Patrizia is a gold digger. But when they got married, his family had turned their back on him. So, she didn’t marry for money, she married for love. She wanted so much to be taken seriously by the family. She was smart and felt that she knew what to do in order to move the company forward. But their acceptance was only an illusion. They were all just using her to get to Maurizio and firm up their control. She was always an outsider, and was a woman in a man’s world and there’s only so much she could do, as many women know. Their power can often go unnoticed.

INDULGE: It must be important to relate, even love the character you have to play. We also know that you never met Patrizia in person. How were you able to do that with Patrizia who may be seen as conniving and manipulative?

LADY GAGA: I believe that trying to better her situation in life came from an innocent place, not a guilty place. Tragically, by the end, not only did Patrizia not achieve her goal, she wound up way below where she was when she started.

INDULGE: What was it like working with acclaimed Director, Ridley Scott?

GAGA: (He is) an architectural visionary. He’s painterly in the way that he approaches his films. He also understands the emotional quotient of a script and how to work with the actors and navigate what they’re trying to say. It’s almost as though the cast were all different musical instruments, like an orchestra – everything from the drums to the bass to the brass to the woodwinds and strings. And because we’re all so different as actors, Ridley is the one conducting a symphony of all these different orchestral elements.

INDULGE: And let’s not forget the costumes! The fashion…bellissima!

GAGA: (Costume Designer, Janty Yates) is an absolute genius and so wonderful to work with! The costumes really helped me get into character. We utilized fashion in so many different ways that it almost became like my skin. But as with the wigs and makeup, it was always in the service of the character. It was very elegant, very nuanced.

INDULGE: For the handful of people who might still not have seen this movie, what would you like them to know?

GAGA: This movie is a genuinely good time. A wild ride and every second is entertaining. Part of Ridley’s magic is that, with all his artistic ways, ultimately, he wants the audience to enjoy themselves.

— Kelly Fine

This interview had been edited for length and clarity. Special thanks to MGM.