Frank Gillo portrays the man, the myth, the legend that is Ferruccio Lamborghini in Lionsgate’s new film, Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend.
The biopic tells the story of genius auto inventor Ferruccio Lamborghini who started out as a farmer’s son and became a world-renowned industrialist. Ferruccio dreamed of beating his longtime rival Enzo Ferrari and proving to himself and others that he could create the world’s fastest and most beautiful car. But chasing your dreams can come with a huge price to pay and Ferruccio was prepared to sacrifice it all.
Ferruccio was a visionary, someone that could see things that the rest of us not only do not see but can barely imagine. Director Bobby Moresco wondered what it’s like to be someone who thinks differently than everyone else and then has the courage to act on those instincts and ideas. For The Purge actor Grillo, it wasn’t too difficult to get into the mindset of the Italian genius seeing as he also comes from Italian descent. “Like a beautiful suit, he just fit Lamborghini. Which is why I think it’s important culturally for actors who are portraying real people that I think they should be from the same culture and ethnicity as the person they’re portraying,” Gillo stated. Gillo used his innate knowledge of Italian culture to get the tiny nuances down such as hand gestures, mannerisms, and inflection.
Many may recognize Gillo for his roles in The Purge film series or his portrayal as fan favorite villain Crossbones in Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War but his portrayal as Ferruccio Lamborghini is quite a different role for the action thriller actor. “I hope people see me in a way where they give me some trust and let me do some things but if not, if this was it, it was enough,” shared Gillo.
Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend is in select theaters, on Demand and Digital November 18.