noimekimmel: 'Lady Gaga: Inside The Outside' Aimed To 'Peel Back The Surface'

Monday, May 30, 2011

'Lady Gaga: Inside The Outside' Aimed To 'Peel Back The Surface'

Director Davi Russo recalls Gaga's crucial wardrobe swap during MTV documentary taping.
By James Montgomery

Lady Gaga
Photo: MTV News

When he was tapped to direct "Lady Gaga: Inside the Outside," Davi Russo knew he was going to get an opportunity to do something all Little Monsters dream of: spend hours with Mother Monster and ask her practically anything.

But he probably never thought he'd also be giving her wardrobe advice. Though, as soon as filming began, he quickly realized that would be part of his responsibilities too. Luckily, like Gaga, Russo is a native New Yorker, born and raised in Brooklyn, and he currently lives on the Lower East Side, the same place Gaga haunted during her formative years. And so, though he'd just met her, he felt like the two shared enough background for him to offer a few sartorial suggestions.

"She came out in this majestic, pink [outfit], high-heels, full-on gown, with a bow, about yay big," he laughed, holding his hands a foot apart above his head, during "Lady Gaga: The After-Show." "And when we wanted to frame the shot, we wanted to live inside with her, because we wanted to give this feeling of intimacy, and we said, 'Oh my God, she has this 12-inch bow on her head!' And I'm thinking, 'Oh, God, we have to reposition our cameras ... '

"So, just immediately, during the haze of stuff, I just got as close as I could, and I said, 'Hey, you know, I want to kind of talk to you about New York and where you're from and where I'm from,' " he continued. "And she said, 'You want to talk about the neighborhood?' And I said, 'Yeah,' and she said, 'Oh my God, I need five minutes, I need to go get changed!' And she gets up, exits, and 15 minutes later, she comes out in this amazing, punk-rock, black leather jacket. Very cool."

And Gaga's ability to roll with the punches wasn't the only thing Russo learned during his time with the pop star. He came in reading all the same things we do, and he had no idea that, beneath all the glitter, she's really a DIY kind of girl.

"Again, it's so easy just to see the surface of things, and I think that's maybe the biggest misconception that a lot of people who may not be fans [have of her, that she's artificial]," he said. "Myself included. I didn't know much about her going into it, [but] I try to always peel back the surface, to see the real person, and the interview gave us the opportunity to really see that. And she's just like me; she has red blood, breathes the same air, and everything else. She's human."

What was the biggest thing you learned about Lady Gaga from "Inside the Outside"? Let us know in the comments!

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