Adam Driver continued his smart choices by taking on the role of Italian car manufacturing giant Enzo Ferrari in 2023’s Ferrari. The film which premiered at the Venice Film Festival, also stars Patrick Dempsey, Shailene Woodley, and Penelope Cruz, and received positive responses from critics before its worldwide release on Christmas Day this year.
The biopic though, has not caught the fancy of certain other celebrities in the entertainment industry. Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino has called out the Michael Mann film for cultural appropriation. Favino stated that casting an American actor like Driver for the role resulted in missed opportunities for native Italian actors who could have fit more seamlessly into the part.
Adam Driver’s Ferrari Criticized For Cultural Appropriation
Adam Driver’s latest film Ferrari is all set to release on Christmas Day this year. Directed by Michael Mann, the story follows the personal and professional struggles of Italian automobile tycoon Enzo Ferrari, during the summer of 1957. Driver, who played the eponymous protagonist, has already received praise for his performance during the premiere of the film at the Venice Film Festival this year.
The House of Gucci actor’s casting though, became a subject of controversy recently. Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino criticized the makers of the film for casting an American actor like Driver to play the role of an Italian. Speaking to Far Out magazine about the cultural complexities involved, Favino explained his reasoning and said,
“There’s an issue of cultural appropriation. Instead, the parts are given to foreign actors who are distant from the story’s real protagonists, starting with the exotic accents. If a Cuban can’t play a Mexican, why can an American play an Italian? It only happens with us.”
Favino also went on to state that these decisions to cast non-Italian actors denied professional artists of Italian descent the opportunity to play a character belonging to their own culture. The actor also revealed that the Italian acting fraternity was the only one who was taken for granted in this manner.
Adam Driver’s Brutal Response To Criticism
Despite his casting in Ferrari being questioned, Adam Driver has proved that he is someone who can surmount criticism without batting an eyelid. The actor’s no-nonsense attitude when it comes to answering controversial questions about his films, came to the fore during a Q and A session for Ferrari in Poland’s EnergaCamerimage Film Festival.
During the session, Driver was asked to comment on the crash scenes in the film. According to the audience members, these scenes were drastic and cheesy to watch. Without flinching, the Marriage Story star responded in scathing fashion by dismissing the viewer. In a video from the festival that appeared on X, Driver said,
“F**k you, I don’t know. Next Question.”
The retort soon went viral on social media with many people including Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson praising the actor for his response and his ability to brush off irrelevant questions.
