Versace! Versace! Gina Gershon channels Donatella Versace for the new film, House of Versace, and the results are stunning. The 51-year-old actress donned a blonde wig and heavy eye makeup to play the infamous fashion designer for the new Lifetime film.

"Surprisingly enough we've never met, though we have a lot of mutual friends," Gershon told The New York Post. "I've played people [on-screen] before who are still living and I've always met them...but I'm kind of glad I never met Donatella. She's certainly a larger-than-life character."

Based on Deborah Ball's book House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder, and Survival, the film follows Donatella's inspiring success of upholding her brother's powerful legacy (and the family name) after his tragic death. To transform into Dontatella, the movie's makeup artist used intense highlighting and shadowing techniques for the spot on transformation.

"She goes through an evolution-she physically changes, as we all know, through the years and it was important to be as truthful about that as possible," Gershon says. "It's movie magic-a little tape and glue. Her physicality is so different from mine; the way she stands and walks and speaks. It was a good exercise in concentration for me in trying to maintain that truthfulness."

Gina Gershon as she appears normally.

The House of Versace also stars Golden Globe Award-winner raquel Welch (The Three Musketeers, Legally Blonde), Enrico Colantoni (Veronica Mars, Just Shoot Me) and Colm Feore (The Chronicles of Riddick, Thor).

"What I appreciate about this script-of course it's Lifetime, and they tend to do 'redemption' stories-is that it's focused more on Donatella's family and what they all went through when Gianni died," Gershon says. "It's more of a personal story and not as broad as everyone thinks it will be. It's such a compelling story about Donatella getting out from under her brother's shadow-and, because of that shadow, also finding her own voice. I really have a lot of respect for her, not just because I'm playing her...but for what she went through, how she got herself out of it and really became her own person and found her own voice"

Watch the trailer for House of Versace, which premieres October 5 exclusively on Lifetime, below. Do you believe Gina's portrayal of Donatella?

Source: Drjays