The Big Picture

Michael Mann’s biopic “Ferrari” dives into the inner turmoil of Enzo Ferrari, a renowned Italian auto engineer, as his business hangs in the balance and he prepares for a dangerous race. Shailene Woodley, who stars in the film, shares her admiration for Michael Mann and his attention to detail, describing working with him as a thrilling and addictive experience. Woodley expresses her hopes for a potential sequel to Mann’s film “Heat,” and reveals that she treasures the opportunity to work with someone she admires so much.

Michael Mann is putting audiences behind the wheel in his turbulent biopic, Ferrari, as it races into theaters today. Starring Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz, and Shailene Woodley, this is Mann’s first feature in eight years, and he turns his attention to detail and inner turmoil to Italian auto engineer, Enzo Ferrari (Driver).

Ferrari’s business, which he shares with his wife, Laura (Cruz), is hanging in the balance. On top of this and mourning the loss of his son, he’s gearing up to showcase his sports cars in the upcoming 1957 Mille Miglia, a deadly competition that winds across the unpredictable Italian terrain. And as all of this races head-on, Ferrari finds moments of solace with his mistress, Lina Lardi (Woodley), in an introspective look at brief moments of the auto legend’s life, from the screenplay by Troy Kennedy Martin.

While talking with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, Woodley shares what it’s like on the set of a Michael Mann movie, why she thrived in the environment, and what makes Mann a rare filmmaker to work alongside. She also shares her hopes for Heat 2, getting to reunite with her The Fault in Our Stars co-star, Ansel Elgort, and why nerves serve her well in every production. Check it out in the video above, or you can read the transcript below.

Ferrari Set in the summer of 1957, with Enzo Ferrari’s auto empire in crisis, the ex-racer turned entrepreneur pushes himself and his drivers to the edge as they launch into the Mille Miglia, a treacherous 1,000-mile race across Italy. Release Date December 25, 2023 Director Michael Mann Runtime 130 minutes Main Genre Biography Writers Troy Kennedy Martin , Brock Yates

COLLIDER: If someone has never seen any of his films, besides Ferrari, which obviously is the easy answer, what’s the one you want to recommend people watch first and why?

SHAILENE WOODLEY: Oh gosh, that’s a great question. My favorite, debatably, is Heat. Everything about that film, and every single time I watch it — I think that’s actually my favorite part about Heat is every time I watch it I feel attracted to something new in it. The first time it was more sort of the violence that was occurring between the men and their relationships, and then the second time it was the emotional violence that was occurring between all of the love and the romance. I think it’s just a perfect film in my eyes.

Is Shailene Woodley Going to Be in ‘Heat 2’?
Image by Jefferson Chacon

I love it. So obviously you’re working with Michael on Ferrari — there are a lot of rumors that he’s making a sequel to Heat. Are you sort of like, “You know, I love this movie. Is there a role?”

WOODLEY: I mean, of course. Absolutely. I remember when we were filming Ferrari, Heat 2 came out and he gave me a signed copy of it. Ansel Elgort happened to be in town while we were filming and came by to visit Michael because he had worked with him on Tokyo Vice, and so we were reading Heat 2 together and just talking about it. It’s such a fun daydream to work with someone that you love so much that you could only hope to be able to work with them again one day. Whether it’s working together or just championing him on for the rest of his career, I just feel very blessed and very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him at all.

I also really enjoy Tokyo Vice, and it’s another thing I’m recommending. It’s very good. So you’ve done some really cool stuff in your career, and obviously Ferrari, what’s the most nervous you’ve been the night before the first day of filming and why?

WOODLEY: Every single project I’ve ever done. The nerves never go away, and I think there’s something so important about that. I have a confidence in what I do because I feel proud of it and I feel dedicated to it, so there’s a confidence that comes with that, but that confidence is only mirrored by nerves, as well. I think that chaotic energy is what drives passion in a way.

How ‘Ferrari’s Michael Mann Is a Master of His Craft

With Ferrari, as a fan of Michael Mann, what actually surprised you about the collaboration with him on set, and what was it about this project that said, “I absolutely have to do this?”

WOODLEY: You know, I don’t think this is any secret going into a Michael Mann film — a lot of people are like, “Oh, you’re working with Michael Mann, going to be tough,” or it’s going to be this or it’s going to be that there. There were so many preconceived ideas that I had been given, and I’m not one to really take much for truth until I experience it myself. Of course it was tough, only because the stakes were high and I wanted to do justice by his intuition, do justice towards his vision for this film and my character, but I thrive around people who are so passionate and who are so dedicated to their craft, and Michael is a master of that. So for me, I didn’t find it to be overwhelming or too tough or frustrating because of his attention to detail. I thrived in the environment, and it became addicting. It was an energy that I really enjoyed being around because it only ever is in support of the greater picture. It’s only ever in support of the final product.

I think that there’s an incredible amount of leadership that has to come with being a director, and it is a dying art. I think there is a lost breed of people who have the stamina and the attention to detail that Michael has, and so every single moment of the experience felt like an opportunity to soak it up, to not forget. I would take notes, I would talk to his crew because a lot of his crew members had worked with him for decades. There’s also something to be said about that, someone who has people who desire to work with him again and again and again, and it’s because no matter the circumstance and maybe the temporary chaos that might be might be happening, Michael pushes everyone to be the best that they can possibly be because he pushes himself to be the best he can possibly be. And that is, again, it’s just a very addicting, wonderful energy to be around when you’re in the process of creating art.

On that note, congratulations on this, and I do hope you get a role in Heat 2.

WOODLEY: Me too! I’m like, “I’ll be the bartender. I don’t care. I’ll do anything.” [Laughs]

Ferrari is in theaters starting Christmas Day.

Get Tickets