The one where the villain’s still got it. Fans are in a frenzy after discovering that a former “Friends” guest star is “aging like a fine wine” three decades later. Italian actor Cosimo Fusco portrayed Paolo, Rachel’s (Jennifer Aniston) love interest in Season 1 of the sitcom. Despite viewers rooting for Rachel and Ross (David Schwimmer) to get together, Paolo managed to charm his way into Rachel’s heart, only to be exposed as a slimy philanderer shortly after.
A Reddit user recently posted a picture of Fusco, now 62, on the platform, prompting one user to comment, “Aged like a fine wine (way better now than in 94),” while another remarked, “Man, he’s good looking. But then again, he always was.” One person exclaimed, “He looks way better now!,” to which a second user quipped, “To all the people that say ‘Paulo wasn’t that attractive’ Please go to the eye doctor as soon as you can, the man was handsome as all hell.”
Others reminisced about his character’s wardrobe, which bore a hilarious resemblance to the clothes worn by Shrek. “He looks way better when he isn’t wearing Shrek’s outfit,” someone teased, while another added, “Seriously, his style and look in the show was THE look at the time.” Rounding out the outfit remarks, one user shared, “He was always a good looking guy, they just deliberately used hair and costume to make him look like someone from the cover of an erotic novel, as slimy as possible.”
Fusco took to his own X account on Wednesday to share an article from Metro UK about himself, writing: “Allow me a touch of vanity here!” Paolo first appeared in the seventh episode of “Friends” titled “The One with the Blackout,” when he was introduced as the owner of a cat that the gang, including Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), Chandler (Matthew Perry), Monica (Courteney Cox) and Joey (Matt LeBlanc), found in their building. Despite Ross’ clear interest in Rachel, she and Paolo sparked up a romance, which ended five episodes later after he tried to make a pass at Phoebe.
Paolo briefly returned in Season 2 when Rachel – upset over Ross’ new romance with Julie (Lauren Tom) – spends the night with him. Fusco has continued to act, including in shows “The Reunion,” “30 Coins,” “Iron Reign” and “Vikings: Valhalla.” Fusco’s post comes days before the one-year anniversary of Perry’s death. Perry died on October 28, 2023, at age 54 from “the acute effects of ketamine.”
On Wednesday, the late actor’s half-sister Caitlin Morrison, 43, and stepdad Keith Morrison spoke to “Hello! Canada” about the loss. “He had this ability to fill up a room with light,” Caitlin said in her first interview since her brother’s death. “When people were in a room with [Perry], there was this magnetic energy.” She added, “Everybody just had a smile on their face and they clung to everything that he said.”
“When [Perry] suddenly died, it was incredibly shocking … anybody who has lost a child will tell you that, even if you are in some way prepared for the possibility, it’s shattering,” the “Dateline” journalist, 77, explained. “What we have decided to do is hang on to that determination and try to do something useful.” In the year since Perry’s passing, Keith and Caitlin have started the Matthew Perry Foundation, aimed to help those battling substance abuse.
“The work that I’m doing now is very selfish because it kind of feels like I’m sitting right next to Matthew, working with him every day on something that was important to him,” said Caitlin, the executive director of the charity. “I have this treasure of getting to keep him very, very close to my life all the time, which is wonderful.” Keith added of Perry, “He would like to be remembered for doing something to help people suffering from addiction.”
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