Adam Driver on Nailing Italian Accent for ‘Ferrari’ (Exclusive)

Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz, Shailene Woodley and Patrick Dempsey are all revved up for “Ferrari”!

“Extra’s” Terri Seymour caught up with Adam and Penélope at the L.A. premiere, where they talked about playing real-life couple Enzo Ferrari and his long-suffering wife Laura. She also caught up with Shailene, who portrays Enzo’s mistress Lina.

Adam reflected on how the cast all really got along and praised director Michael Mann, who he said made it easy to do his job. Adam also talked about nailing Ferrari’s Italian accent, calling it “helpful to the character.”

Driver said it felt “surreal” to bring the movie to audiences, and said of the cast and director, “We all genuinely get a long and enjoy each other,” adding of Mann, “I love his movies. They don’t play down to the audience they are accessible to everyone without being so dumbed down that the audience doesn’t have to work.”

Penélope was stunning in Chanel as she explained she spent “a few weeks” with Driver and Mann before filming, along “with people who knew the real characters.”

During her research, Cruz also learned more about Laura and Enzo and “the nature of their relationship” through real letters. She also discovered “clues” at Laura’s apartment about “how she was feeling the last few years of her life.”

“The sadness was shocking… You could see that she was living in a deep depression,” Penélope said, adding, “When you are playing a real character, there is an extra responsibility.”

Shailene said of playing Lina, “She has a soft resiliency and a kind patience to be of service to the men in her life in a way that I found remarkably inspiring and moving.”