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The Venice Lido was recently rocked by a scandal that has revived the 80th Venice Film Festival. The lack of actors on the red carpet due to the strike in Hollywood has already worsened the atmosphere of the event. But once again, the focus is on an interview with Pierfrancesco Favino, the protagonist of Stefano Sollima’s Adagio, who disagreed with the decision to entrust Italian roles to foreign actors, calling the practice “cultural appropriation.”
The reason for this reaction lies in the preview presentation at the Lido of “Ferrari”, a biopic dedicated to Enzo Ferrari, in which the character of Drake is played by American actor Adam Driver. After the screening of the film, which was met with applause from the audience, many commented on the use of a very strong, almost annoying Italian accent in the dialogue spoken by the actors in English. Penelope Cruz, who plays Enzo Ferrari’s wife, performs in English but with an Italian accent. The same accent that was the subject of controversy in Ridley Scott’s The House of Gucci, in which Driver and Lady Gaga played the roles of Maurizio Gucci and Patricia Reggiani. Ironically, Favino joked about the incident, stating “Gucci had a New Jersey accent, didn’t you know that?”.
Using the example of Enzo Ferrari’s Adam Driver, Favino raised the issue of cultural appropriation, wondering why equal Italian actors were not cast in these roles. He addressed his appeal to Toni Servillo, Adriano Giannini and Valerio Mastandrea, his colleagues on the set of Adagio, asking why they do not participate in such films and why foreign actors are chosen for the roles of the main characters of the stories, including those with an exotic accent. Favino commented that if a Cuban actor can’t play a Mexican, then why can an American actor play an Italian. This situation, according to the plaintiff, is a disrespectful attitude towards the Italian system, and if these are general laws, then they should also be involved.
The topic of cultural appropriation has become more and more acute in recent years, affecting the film industry. From the debate over the representation of minorities in Disney films, to the question of whether it is appropriate for a cisgender actor to play a transgender character, to the question raised by Favino, whether it is appropriate for an actor of a different nationality and culture to play the role. This debate is as relevant as ever and needs answers.
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