Paolo From Friends Reveals The Real Story Behind His Italian Lines

Cosimo Fusco says the sitcom's producers told him to "just say whatever you want in Italian."
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The one where he ad-libbed his lines...

Cosimo Fusco, the Italian actor who played Paolo in Friends, has revealed how he made up what he said in his native language during filming for the first season of the hit 1990s sitcom.

The show’s producers asked him to improvise, he explained in an interview with the Today show that is now going viral.

“I was a little bit skeptical because my English then wasn’t as good as it is now, let’s face it,” said Cosimo in the segment marking the comedy’s 25th anniversary. “But I was told not to speak any English: ‘Just say whatever you want in Italian.’”

“When I’m standing by the window with Jennifer and I say, ‘Look at the moon, look at the star’ and I just say that and it stayed in everyone’s mind,” he added.

Cosimo in character with co-star Jennifer Aniston
Cosimo in character with co-star Jennifer Aniston
NBC

Paolo briefly dated Jennifer Aniston’s Rachel Green until he made a pass at Phoebe Buffay (played by Lisa Kudrow) during a massage.

Cosimo revealed still had affection for his character, however, saying he “would love to see him now, after 25 years, how he presents himself”.

Check out the interview here:

Jack and Judy Geller (Elliott Gould and Christina Pickles)

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