Adam Driver has defended his decision to play two famous Italians in quick succession in Ferrari and House of Gucci.

The Star Wars actor portrayed Italian businessman and Gucci fashion boss in Ridley Scott’s 2021 movie House of Gucci and was most recently seen playing Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari in Michael Mann’s 2023 movie.

Driver explained on the SmartLess podcast that he chose those projects simply because he wanted to work with those filmmakers.

“So many people have been like, ‘How many Italians… ?’ I’m like, it’s just kind of worked out that way,” he stated. “Well, it’s Ridley and it’s Michael and they’re in my mind some of the best filmmakers of all time. Who gives a s**t that it’s two Italians back to back?”

The Girls star joked that the roles are “a good example of not being strategic in a way that (he) probably should” in his career and noted that he is “probably” done playing Italians because people have made it into a big deal.

“I’m surprised how much it comes up. It’s like, ‘You have a thing,’ and I’m like, ‘It’s two! It’s two Italians! It’s just two,'” he told hosts Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes. “(The) press isn’t a place where you have a nuanced conversation. That seems like a hard idea. Like, ‘What is it with Italy?’ I mean, it’s less to do with Italy, although I like it. It’s more about Ridley Scott and Michael Mann and the projects themselves. Italy is not the first thing on my mind.”

In between House of Gucci and Ferrari, Driver also starred in the sci-fi 65 and Noah Baumbach’s White Noise. After Ferrari, he filmed Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project Megalopolis and took a break to spend time with his wife Joanne Tucker and their second baby.

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