The Assassination of Gianni Versace: See the real-life inspiration

The 40-year-old Joy actor was Ryan Murphy's first choice to play the fashion designer. "I just kept attacking Edgar in a very friendly way," Murphy tells EW. "Finally, he was like, 'I get it; I'll do it.'"

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story premieres on Jan. 17 at 10 p.m. on FX.

"It took me a while to figure out what I wanted," Murphy admits of casting the role of Versace's sister. He eventually landed on the 43-year-old actress. "She said, 'I'm afraid to do this, so I think that's why I should do it.'"

"Ricky really fought for it. He wanted to do something dramatic and different," says Murphy of the 46-year-old singer. "That's part of the joy of what I do: seeing something no one else has seen."

Having worked with the 30-year-old on Glee, Murphy knew full well what Criss was capable of. "Darren can and has successfully done sexualized, darker parts. I was like, 'I think that can be interesting.'"