Adam Driver is fired up about criticisms of his recent role choices.
On an episode of the “SmartLess” podcast, the actor defended playing famous Italian figures in both of his last two movies, “House of Gucci” and “Ferrari.”
“So many people have been like, ‘How many Italians… ?’. I’m like, it’s just kind of worked out that way,” Driver, 40, told hosts Sean Hayes, Will Arnett and Jason Bateman.
“But I’m like, you know, it’s Ridley [Scott] and it’s Michael [Mann] and they’re in my mind some of the best filmmakers. Who gives a s–t that it was two Italians back to back?”
In Mann’s “Ferrari,” which hit theaters on Christmas Day, Driver plays automobile manufacturer Enzo Ferrari, who lived out his days in Modena, Italy. And in 2021’s “House of Gucci,” the actor starred opposite Lady Gaga as Maurizio Gucci, the murdered fashion bigwig who was born in Florence.
“I’m surprised how much it comes up,” Driver added. “It’s like, ‘You have a thing,’ and I’m like, ‘It’s two! It’s two Italians!’ It’s just two. The press isn’t a place where you have a nuanced conversation.”
In a one-star review, The Post called “Gucci” a “puffed-up, ponderous drama” wherein the accents “come off as Russian.”
“Ferrari” — and Driver’s performance in it — were received more favorably.
“Once you grow accustomed to Driver’s deep, taffy-chewing voice and hurtful glares, he capably transforms into the ice-cold innovator in Modena, Italy, who was an unspeakably ruthless competitor,” the three-star review read.
Driver will next star in “Godfather” director Francis Ford Coppola’s long-gestating science-fiction epic “Megalopolis,” which is set in New York — not Italy.