His filmography can be seen as a collection of famous filmmakers. He worked under his command Clint Eastwoodrelated to Steven Spielbergrelated to coen brothersrelated to Martin Scorseserelated to Steven Soderberghrelated to Terry Gilliamrelated to Carax the lionby Ridley Scott -twice-, by Jim Jarmusch -two more people- and Noah Baumbach– five times – and he just shot Francis Ford Coppola’s new movie, ‘Megalopolis’. The film, which is currently premiering in Spain, is also his first collaboration with Michael Mann: ‘Ferrari’ re-enacts three months in 1957 during which the auto magnate faces marital problems, the death of his son, the risk of bankruptcy and his share of responsibility in life. A sports tragedy that resulted in the deaths of 11 people.
The Ferrari brand is known all over the world, but how much did you know about Enzo Ferrari before he brought it to life?
All I knew were some of their most iconic cars. I discovered the brand in my childhood, thanks to the impressive white Ferrari Testarossa featured in the TV series ‘Miami Vice’, of which my father was an unconditional fan. Since then, the word Ferrari has meant something very specific to me: works of art that can be driven and have nothing to do with the type of cars most mere mortals can afford.
Ferrari isn’t the first historical figure you’ve played. What do you think is the main acting challenge posed by these characters?
When creating a character, it is inevitable to be inspired to some extent by the physical characteristics of the real person on whom it is based, and therefore there is a risk of the interpretation turning into a mere act of imitation. During the shooting of ‘Ferrari’, I spent two hours a day sitting in front of the mirror while they did my make-up, and another hour a day taking off my make-up. The biggest challenge was to prevent the prosthetics and cosmetics from drawing too much attention and overshadowing the character’s humanity.
The film suggests that Ferrari is a man who builds a wall around himself to suppress his emotions. Is it harder to embody an introverted character than a more openly expressive one?
It all seems very complicated to me, and to tell the truth, I don’t make such distinctions. Interpretation is a very strange process. During the shoot, you are surrounded by people, but you still feel completely alone, isolated. And even if you feel like you’re giving it your all when shooting a scene, none of what you’re trying to convey may be visible from the outside or fit into the scene even if it works great on its own. the rest of the movie..
Is it annoying?
Yes, constantly, because it shows that you have no control as a player. And that’s too bad, because you also know that once the movie is finished it will be around forever and you will be associated with it for life. That’s why it’s so important to be on the same page with the directors you work with. And I think Michael [Mann] and we are very similar in many ways. We are both very perfectionists and create very high expectations for our work and get really angry when we feel like those expectations are not being met.
But excessive perfectionism often guarantees dissatisfaction with the work done.
Well. And the truth is, sometimes when I’m working, I spend my days feeling like all my efforts are in vain, that I’m a failure. It is important to maintain a certain inner peace and not let insecurity consume you. I don’t want to give the impression that I spend my day thinking about my job, but the truth is that acting obsesses me. I feel like I owe everything I am to acting. My family. My lifestyle. All.
Do you usually watch your own movies?
I did this at the beginning of my career, but soon realized that it was unbearable for me. It’s so weird to see yourself on screen and realize that what you thought you were doing while playing the character is not what you’re actually doing. In any case, I’ve recently forced myself to start re-watching the movies I’ve posted because I feel like not doing so is a lack of respect for the other people working on them. As I get older, my perception of what is important and what is not so important changes.
How much does success have to do with this change?
When you’re the person around whom a film shoot revolves, part of your responsibility is to keep crew morale high and make sure everyone feels comfortable working with you. You should keep your anxiety at bay and not spread it. And you can’t stay in a corner until it’s your turn to read your lines and then leave. You must be a leader.
There are those who complain that American cinema uses American actors, not Italian actors, when recreating the lives of famous Italians. Before playing Enzo Ferrari, you played Maurizio Gucci in ‘La casa Gucci’ (2021). What do you think about that?
Personally, I feel an extra responsibility when giving life to a character from a different culture than mine because I take care to respect him. All that remains is that, more often than not, it is economic criteria that distinguish the films that are produced from those that are not. In order to have enough budget to shoot films freely, it is necessary to present a commercial perspective. That’s how it works.