We all remember Paolo, don’t we?
Because, while he may have only appeared in four episodes of Friends, he sort of… well, he was sort of burned into our minds forever more.
Here’s how we met him in The One With The Blackout:
Yup, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) scurried off around the building searching for a stray cat - and ran straight into the kitty’s strapping owner.
Unable to speak much english, Paolo - aka the Italian Stallion - proved to be something of a demon between the sheets, with Rachel later describing their passion as ‘raw animal sex’.
A comment which, naturally, Ross (David Schwimmer) didn’t appreciate very much.
Check out their argument here:
Paolo and Rachel eventually split after he made a pass at Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) during a massage - although they did have ONE more fling after she ran into him during the second season.
Ran into him at, y’know, his apartment.
Hey, don’t judge; have you SEEN Paolo?
Anyway, we got to wondering what he looks like nowadays.
Does he still have that amazing head of locks, for example? Does he still dress in medieval waistcoats and white billowy-sleeved peasant shirts?
Is he still as fine a specimen as we remember?
Well, no.
He’s actually BETTER than he ever was.
Check. It. Out.
Buon giorno, tutti!
That’s right, actor Cosimo Fusco has ditched his flowing tresses for something shorter, sharper, and more distinguished.
In fact, distinguished is just a good word for him overall, isn’t it?
He looks like the kinda guy who’d take you to bed at night for (raw animal) sex, but stick around to whip you up a plate of Eggs Benedict in the morning.
Sure, we might be getting carried away…
But… but he does though, doesn’t he?
In short, he’s our dream man.
Nowadays you’ll find Cosimo making movies, as well as foreign-language television series.
You can check out his IMDB page for all the details, but we reckon the most exciting bit is the fact he appeared in the big screen adaptation of Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons.
Are you shocked by Paolo’s new appearance, Friends fans?
Let us know via Facebook and Twitter (@CloserOnline).