Lady Gaga discusses 'House of Gucci' role and why she did not meet with Patrizia Reggiani

By Hayley FitzPatrick, Erin Brady & Sarah Lang

Lady Gaga is opening up on what her dramatic transformation for the upcoming film, "House of Gucci," entailed.

In the Ridley Scott-directed film, Gaga plays Patrizia Reggiani, the woman who was famously convicted of arranging the murder of her ex-husband, Italian fashion heir Maurizio Gucci, in 1998 -- after he was shot and killed by a hitman in 1995.

Ahead of the release of the film on Nov. 24, Gaga spoke about the steps she took to embody Reggiani on the big screen, why she chose not to meet with Reggiani while preparing for the role and her thoughts on the woman who served 18 years in prison for the infamous crime.

"There was a lot that was in the media that was sensationalized about how she was this gold digger and about how she killed for greed and money," Gaga said during an interview that aired Tuesday on "Good Morning America."

"I believe it was love, and I believe it was survival," Gaga said.

Despite feeling Reggiani was somewhat mischaracterized in the press, Gaga said she still had her reasons for not meeting with the woman she was set to portray onscreen.

"I didn't wanna meet her because I could tell very quickly that this woman wanted to be glorified for this murder, and she wanted to be remembered as this criminal," Gaga said.

"I didn't wanna collude with something that I don't believe in," she continued. "You know, she did have her husband murdered."

Instead, she said she dove into her own research and worked at mastering Reggiani’s accent for six months, then filmed for three and a half months, staying in character the entire time. And it appears to have paid off.

"I was just in Milan the other day doing a television show, and I had the most wonderful time with Fabio, who did my interview," Gaga said. "When he told me that he was so impressed with my accent and that Italian people were impressed with my accent, I couldn't think of a higher honor."

Gaga, who earned a best actress nomination for her performance in the 2018 drama, "A Star Is Born," is already garnering Oscar buzz for her "House of Gucci" performance.

“It's wonderful to be in the Oscars conversation, and also by nature, I'm more competitive with myself than I am with other people. So it’s not something that makes me super comfortable," she shared. "But I feel really blessed and very honored to be in this movie."

During the star's interview, she also reflected on another major moment for her this year -- performing at President Joe Biden's inauguration in January, which she said was "a real honor."

"I have a lot of complicated feelings about this country," she said. "I think the whole country felt complicated. We still have to figure out how to do this together."

One of Gaga's goals in the future is to work to do her part in shaping the future.

"I'd like to spend the next decades of my life learning how to mobilize myself and those who are watching to build a kinder and braver world," she said.

See more of Lady Gaga's interview with "GMA" co-anchor Michael Strahan on "Nightline" tonight at 12:35 a.m. ET on ABC.