It’s a Saturday afternoon in February and Spike Lee and Giancarlo Esposito are sitting side by side in a golf cart on the lot of a studio in Los Angeles. The two, friends for 40 years, have worked together many times over the years on Lee joints such as the 1988 one. School dizziness1989s Do the right thing1990s Mo’Better Blues and the years 1992 Malcolm X. They’re back together and collaborating once again, this time for Fiat on behalf of the Italian automaker’s all-new all-electric Fiat 500e.
Lee directs and stars in the “Italy in America” spot alongside his Emmy-nominated friend in what marks their first national ad campaign together. As the story unfolds, Esposito helps Lee find his inner Italian as they discover how their urban commutes become more “dolce” in the 2024 Fiat 500e. “The all-electric Fiat 500e captures the essence of Italian lifestyle. This new campaign brings together an iconic duo of diverse backgrounds, legendary Brooklyn director Spike Lee and actor Giancarlo Esposito, who share with Spike the virtues of his Italian ancestry to show him that La Dolce Vita can be found even far beyond Italian borders,” explained Olivier François, global marketing director at Stellantis.
The campaign, launched last week and filmed by Oscar-nominated cinematographer Matthew Libatique, will include more than a dozen creative elements featuring the duo across Fiat’s social channels, running throughout the spring and summer and extending into fall. It’s no surprise to discover that the campaign is largely unscripted, allowing Lee and Esposito to effortlessly clash in the way longtime friends can. That’s exactly what they do during a 20-minute Zoom interview with The Hollywood Reporter from the front seat of this golf cart. Lee and Esposito finish each other’s sentences, laugh and compliment each other while sharing the story of the campaign and talking about their new projects – Up and down with Denzel Washington for Lee and Francis Ford Coppola Megalopolis for Esposito – and take seriously the threat of artificial intelligence facing the world.
Spike Lee and Giancarlo Esposito star in Fiat’s new campaign.
Courtesy of FIAT
Seeing you two together on a Saturday afternoon is very cool…
Lee: We have history. We have history. Good story.
How does it feel to be reunited?
Lee: I feel good, how about you?
Esposito: I feel good, like a million dollars.
Lee: We’ve seen each other over the years, off and on, but time flies. June 30 will be the 35th anniversary of Do the right thing. I’m leaving!
Esposito: We’re leaving!
Who had the idea for this collaboration?
Esposito: Well, Spike is the man. Spike is the coach. I always invite good energy, and when we meet,…
