One of the Main Actors in “Ferrari” Coming to U.S. Theaters Dec. 25, Giuseppe Bonifati, says Being “Cosmopolitan” Helped Him on the Set
Rome: Giuseppe Bonifati plays one of the main characters in the film Ferrari, which had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and will be released in U.S. theaters on Dec. 25. Bonifati plays Giacomo Cuoghi, the friend and manager of Enzo Ferrari, the entrepreneur who created the iconic automobile. In the movie, Adam Driver is the face of Enzo Ferrari, and Penelope Cruz is his wife, Laura Ferrari.
About his time on the set, the actor says, “It was an experience I will definitely treasure for my work as a director. Working with the cast, especially Adam Driver, I felt very comfortable already during the rehearsals, even though I was dealing with one of the most sought-after actors in the international star system. The fact that Michael Mann then decided to put me next to Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz for the table read definitely helped break the ice before shooting began.
Working with an international cast. As for the relationship with the international cast, Bonifati says it was a fruitful interaction. “We Italian artists are able to pick up some new tricks of the trade on set. So, I think it is shortsighted to hire an actor for a particular role just because of where he or she comes from.
“There is no doubt that some actors are better suited to one character than another. The main goal in casting a movie is to find a cosmopolitan artist who can present himself to the audience without mental, physical or geographical boundaries. I don’t see why there should be limits imposed by one’s origins; instead, I find it more stimulating to expand the range of possibilities to the unexpected juxtapositions that cinema and art can produce.”
Recent work and future projects. Bonifati has previously worked on Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World and the BBC US series with Tom Hollander. Among his most original recent projects, after Party for Art and Artbulanza, is Det Flyvende Teater/The Flying Theater: at the airport in Billund, Denmark, a crew of actors, singers and dancers interacts like an airline with passengers from all over the world. He is working on his directorial debut, in a film set between Denmark and Calabria: it is Revenge is a dish best served cold, a revenge film revised in a contemporary key and inspired by the tragedy of Hamlet.
The movie Ferrari. The cast of the movie Ferrari also includes Shailene Woodley, Patrick Dempsey, Jack O’Connell, Sarah Gadon and Gabriel Leone. The screenplay, co-written by Mann and Troy Kennedy Martin, was inspired by Brock Yates’ book Enzo Ferrari – The Man and the Machine. The legendary director of Heat, Collateral and The Last of the Mohicans has finally landed this major project after two decades. The movie is set in 1957, and the story interweaves Ferrari’s personal life with his racing life, including the tragic Mille Miglia of that year, marked by Alfonso De Portago’s accident and the threat of bankruptcy.
