It's a Saturday afternoon in February, and Spike Lee and Giancarlo Esposito are sitting side by side in a golf cart on a Los Angeles studio lot. The two, who have been friends for 40 years, have worked together many times over the years, including at Lee's Joint in 1988. School Days1989 do the right thing1990s mo better blues and in 1992 Malcolm X. The two got together again and decided to collaborate again. This time, Fiat is collaborating on behalf of the Italian automaker's latest all-electric Fiat 500e.
Lee will direct and star in the “Italy in America” ​​spot opposite his Emmy-nominated friend, marking the pair's first national advertising campaign. As the story progresses, Esposito helps Lee find her inner Italian while discovering how urban commuting becomes “dolce” in her 2024 Fiat 500e . “The all-electric Fiat 500e captures the essence of the Italian lifestyle. The new campaign features an iconic car with a diverse heritage, featuring legendary Brooklyn filmmaker Spike Lee and actor Giancarlo Esposito. The duo comes together to share the virtues of their Italian ancestry with Spike and show him that a sweet life can be found beyond Italy's borders.” Olivier Francois, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Stellantis.
The campaign, which launched last week and was shot by Oscar-nominated cinematographer Mathieu Libatique, includes more than a dozen creative elements featuring the pair across Fiat's social channels and will run through spring and summer. Lasts until autumn. The campaign is largely unscripted, so it's no surprise to find that Lee and Esposito play against each other as effortlessly as longtime friends. That's exactly what they do in his 20-minute Zoom interview. hollywood reporter From the front seat of that golf cart. Lee and Esposito finish each other's sentences, bicker, and compliment each other while sharing stories behind campaigns and talking about new projects. high and low Lee and Francis Ford Coppola co-star with Denzel Washington megalopolis For Esposito, we are serious about the artificial intelligence threats facing the world.
It's so cool to see them together on a Saturday afternoon…
Lee: We have history. History has been made. It's good history.
How does it feel to be reunited?
Lee: I feel great, what about you?
Esposito: It feels great, like a million dollars.
Lee: We've met up occasionally over the years, but time flies. June 30th marks the 35th anniversary of our founding. do the right thing. Eavesdropping!
Esposito: Eavesdropping!
Who came up with the idea for this collaboration?
Esposito: Well, Spike is that guy. Spike is the coach. I always evoke good energy, and when we meet by chance, it feels like not even a day has passed since we last met. That's the truth.
Lee: That's true, Ruth.
Esposito: That's true. When they approached me about this because of my Italian heritage, connection to Italy, and love of cars, they said Spike Lee was going to direct it.
Lee: It's a natural fit. Especially in this industry, if you're close, you might have a beloved Spike, but schedules and delays mean you can't work together again. But we have a bond. It was announced that he will be filming a new movie. [Denzel Washington]the fifth after Mo Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game, Inside Man. 'Inside Man' was 16 years ago, but for Denzel and I it seemed like yesterday. The same is true for my brother. That creative bond, that human bond, even if we don't work together or haven't seen each other in years, when we meet, we give each other a big hug like we did last night. become.
What's the story in the commercial?
Esposito: This is a story about Fiat, the 500e, an electric car that has been redesigned to be really sleek and beautiful.
Lee: I've never seen it in a photo, but it's amazing to see it in real life…[gives a thumbs up].
Esposito: It's a trick, trick vehicle. It's really beautiful. This is a small and perfect city car, representing Italy's cultural heritage and the colorful nature of the Italian people. We are very, very passionate people who love food, wine, sunshine, music and dancing. It is a cultural expression of everything Italian.
Lee: If they don't know, tell them about your connection to Italy…
Esposito: I'm half Italian. My people are from Naples, Italy. I grew up in Rome. My mother is an opera singer. My father worked at an opera theater called La Scala in Milan.
Lee: Who is Italian and who is African?
Esposito: My father is Italian and my mother is black, African-American.
Lee: Where did they meet?
Esposito: They met at Teatro San Carlo in Naples. It's a famous and really small opera house. I recently went back there to see where they meet in July and it brought tears to my eyes. I also went to Naples, where I really realized my heritage.
Lee: The first moment you two met, were you born in Naples?
Esposito: No, right after that. Too much information. Mom and Dad, I love you. So I have a very strong connection to Italy and I love Italy.this [commercial] Italians are truly amazing people, truly great at everything from cars to leather handbags to music. Again, to me, they represent the best parts of me.
They know how to live there. Spike, I understand that you also grew up in an area with a large Italian population. Have you spent much time in Italy?
Lee: Oh, yeah. I spent a lot of time in Italy, and the Lee family was the first black family to move to a neighborhood called Cobble Hill in Brooklyn, New York. The people in the immediate vicinity of the dock were mostly Italian Americans. The longshoremen bought a house in Cobble Hill, so we were the first. A lot of what you see in the movie Do the Right Thing and later in Summer of Sam grew out of my experience growing up as the only black family in an Italian-American neighborhood in Brooklyn.
Back to FIAT. Have you ever owned or currently own an electric or battery electric vehicle?
Esposito: I don't own one right now, but I will own an electric car. It's good for the planet and the environment. I finally started riding electric bikes and realized how much smoother, quieter, and more efficient e-bikes are. I will own an electric car soon.
Lee: Me too.
Esposito: We're still in New York, and this Fiat is a city car that fits in tight spaces. It is practical, efficient and saves the environment. I'm all for it, and this Fiat 500 is beautiful.
Spike, we've seen you star in front of the camera in some iconic commercials over the years. Besides spending time with Giancarlo, how else can you get someone to say yes to being on camera in a commercial these days?
Lee: If you love the product, if you believe in the product and the story. Also, if I'm free. Availability is important. Many of these companies have some problem and need to solve it. But this is an all-in-one experience. And to unite with my brother here, G-money, big brother almighty. There's a bug. I mean, that's great. If you can work with people you love, that's a win.
Esposito: Let me add something to that. Because you didn't ask me, but I'd like to tell you why I'm here…
I was also going to ask you the same thing. Because, first of all, meeting you in the same place feels like an all-encompassing gift to you these days. You are in high demand…
Lee: There's a demand! There's a demand!
Esposito: I'm really happy to be in demand, and I'm happy to be able to be on camera and create with amazing people every day of my life. I'm not only here to catch up, but I also want to work with great people. My list of hit directors is Spike Lee…
Lee: We met in Atlanta.
Esposito: Yeah, I'm working on a piece by Francis Ford Coppola. megalopolis. It's coming out soon.
Lee: I watched 90 minutes.
Esposito: Yay! I did some ADR the other day. he says hello. It's about integrity. I get the chance to work with people of integrity, people who don't do it for the money or just because they're asked to support a project they can't afford. It's great to be able to do that. They do this to create and bring other creators along. For me, I want to work with the best people, but I also want to have fun and learn something along the way.
Lee: I'm going to piggyback on what my brother says. I am a tenured professor of film at New York University Graduate School of Film. I've been there 30 years. Ang Lee and Ernest Dickerson were my classmates. New York University's graduate film school is his three-year program, and on the first day of class I tell my students, “If you can make a living doing what you love, you're happy.” The vast majority of the inhabitants of God's earth will go to their graves doing a job they hate. we are blessed. We don't take things like this for granted. Sorry for the profanity, but it didn't have to be me and I don't take it for granted. That is, one step left, one step right. you fell off a cliff.
Spike, you said you'd be reuniting with Denzel in the next movie. high and low. How did it come together?
Lee: I wasn't involved in the project when the first script was written. But I rewrote it. Denzel was on the project before me.Denzel was in attendance Malcolm X Before me too. We have a great history. I know what works for him and what he doesn't like. [Laughs] If Denzel Washington doesn't like something, he'll let you know right away. Even under conditions of uncertainty, he will say, “That doesn't work.”
Giancarlo, how was it? megalopolis?
Esposito: It was a really great experience. He is one of the highlights of my career.I worked with Frances again of cotton club.work together with him megalopolis Many years later, he has just shown his vision for the world. It's a very, very special movie. I think he's a genius. I did some ADR the other day.
Lee: I've seen more than him. We were shooting at the same stage in Atlanta, where I was shooting a spot for Capital One. [Samuel L. Jackson and Charles Barkley]I heard that they were filming nearby, so I rushed over. Francis took over the entire hotel. I had a lot of posters, so I asked him to autograph them, and he did. Then he said, “Spike, I'll give you ten minutes.” It was great, and after 10 minutes he said, “Let's watch it 10 more times.” In the end he showed 90 minutes. It is wonderful.
Esposito: A special human being at a special time in his life.
Last question: You said you took a left or right turn and stumbled off a cliff, and that description may also apply to the current state of the industry. The industry faces many challenges, including AI What do you think about the threats posed by AI? In the movie industry?
Lee: If I could rephrase that question, the danger that AI poses to movies is nothing compared to the danger that AI poses to the world. It's bigger than the movie. It's bigger than the music. I had to give this to his brother Steven Spielberg. AI artificial intelligence It came out. I didn't even know what it was until that movie came out. We live in very dangerous times. It's bigger than the movie.
Esposito: You can't replace the real thing. Nothing can replace the human soul, the soul. You cannot replace humanity. You can try the machine, but sorry…
Lee: It's not the same.
Esposito: It takes some learning to understand how to use it properly and in the right way. This is a testament to those who foresaw this event, like Steven Spielberg.
Lee: He had a crystal ball on it. What's wrong, Stephen? You know you did what you were supposed to do.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.