Adam Driver on biopic ‘Ferrari’: ‘the pressure was on to get it right’

LONDON: American actor Adam Driver once again puts on an Italian accent in his latest film, playing carmaker Enzo Ferrari in a new biopic directed by veteran Michael Mann.

Set in 1957 in Modena, Italy, ‘Ferrari’ focuses on a key period in the former racing driver’s life as he overcomes the death of his son, struggles to keep his company afloat and seeks to dominate the racetrack.

Driver, who played Italian fashion scion Maurizio Gucci in ‘House of Gucci’, takes on the lead role, with Spanish actress Penelope Cruz playing Ferrari’s wife, Laura.

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“Definitely there was an added pressure because we were shooting it in Modena and the Ferrari iconography is very obvious as well as people reminding you on a daily basis how much Ferrari means to that area specifically in Italy, not to mention Italy overall,” Driver told Reuters at the film’s UK premiere.

“So the pressure … was on to kind of get it right.”

The film’s cast also includes U.S. actress Shailene Woodley as Lina Lardi, Ferrari’s mistress and the mother of his surviving son, Piero, and U.S. actor Patrick Dempsey, who portrays Italian racing driver Piero Taruffi.

His character takes part in the fast-paced, adrenalin-fuelled scenes of the red sports cars competing in the legendary Mille Miglia road race across Italy.

“Normally you take actors, you do additional dialogue recording,” Mann said of sound work on the movie. “We were doing additional car sounds with real cars.”

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The movie, which first premiered at the Venice Film Festival, begins its cinema roll-out later this month.