Adam Driver is not standing for any criticism of his new movie, Ferrari.
During a Q&A at the Camerimage Film Festival in Poland on Sunday, the actor shut down a question from an audience member who thought the new action film was “cheesy”.
“What do you think about [the] crash scenes? They looked pretty harsh, drastic and, I must say, cheesy for me,” the man asked Driver. “What do you think?”
The 39-year-old appeared irritated by the question as he took a drink from his water bottle and replied, bluntly: “F**k you, I don’t know. Next question.”
The Michael Mann-directed biopic follows the life of legendary sports-car magnate Enzo Ferrari (played by Driver) as his company prepares to enter the Mille Miglia, an open-road motorsport race, to ward of bankruptcy.
Set in 1957, the movie also captures the drama in Enzo’s personal life with his wife Laura (played by Penelope Cruz) after his affair with mistress Lina Lardi (played by Shailene Woodley). Gabriel Leone, Sarah Gadon and Patrick Dempsey also star in the movie, which premieres in Australia on January 4.
Early screenings at the world premiere of Ferrari during the Venice Film Festival in August saw the movie get positive reviews.
“Ferrari zings along with a sleek, greyhound energy – it’s a supple, elegant film, the kind of picture you’d expect from a vigorous craftsman like Mann,” writes Time Magazine.
“The racing scenes, in particular, are thrilling, though they’re mitigated by a sense of horror…The movie’s most stunning sequence (is) so beautifully shot and edited it could serve as an action masterclass by itself.”
“It’s mostly fast and furious, with a brain. It was a smart decision to forego any cradle-to-grave ambitions and focus instead on a concentrated period in which multiple factors weighed on the future of Ferrari,” The Hollywood Reporter concluded.
“It gives the film high tension both on and off the track, and even if the emotionally charged domestic scenes seldom match and adrenaline rush of the hair-raising race sequences, they provide intimate access.”
At the festival, Driver spoke about the intenseity it took to film the racing scenes.
“The mindset of racing cars in pre-production with Ferraris […] you become painfully aware, it’s the opposite of escapism, it’s absolutely focused on the mindset of what’s happening right now. There’s no room for daydreaming or losing focus in attention, because you’ll crash obviously,” Driver said.
“The mindset was helpful in playing the character. It’s impulsive. It’s pre-psychology. He’s making decisions in a vacuum.”
