Tons of notable characters circulated through 'Friends' during its epic run, but some were more memorable than others. Janice, for example, still has fans wondering what she's up to today.
In terms of controversy plus entertainment value, the appearance of Paolo on 'Friends' was another one of the highlights. Though his relationship with Rachel was short-lived, he added some interest to the storyline. His Italian wasn't too shabby, either.
The truth is that Paolo really was Italian; he was played by actor Cosimo Fusco. As HuffPost recapped, in an interview, Fusco admitted that during his four episodes on 'Friends' back in 1994-1995, his English wasn't that great.
That thick accent was part of what Rachel seemingly loved about Paolo, but it was the real thing. In fact, Fusco explained that the producers didn't even care about his English abilities. Instead, they instructed him to speak Italian and say, basically, whatever he wanted.
Since then, it seems that Cosimo has further honed his acting skills and his language abilities. He's been on a handful of English-speaking shows, such as 'Alias' and 'The Mentalist,' but only as a guest star. Most of Cosimo's acting post-'Friends' has been in Italian projects, though some were Spanish or European.
He has been busy in the last few years, though; Cosimo's IMDb page features recent credits on a recurring Spanish TV series, the 2019 film 'The Tracker,' and more. He also has another Spanish project coming out, 2021's slated release 'Veneciafrenia.'
The best news, though, is that Cosimo has Instagram. Fans can keep up with Paolo as he acts, travels, and indulges in other artistic pursuits.
And although not every cast member is eager for a reunion, Paolo himself would love to see how things played out since his exit from the show. HuffPost noted that Cosimo Fusco was curious to know how Paolo turned out, more than two decades later.
Fans aren't sure the friends would be happy to have him back, of course. Remember, he tried to make a move on Phoebe, which led to Rachel dumping him. But real-life Cosimo is probably welcome on the set with the rest of the cast if that reboot ever happens the way dedicated fans hope it will.
For now, they'll have to content themselves with watching all of Cosimo's other works, which, TBH, are far more diverse than what fans saw on 'Friends.' While he's not starring on any big-network sitcoms these days, his films and recurring acting projects are nothing to scoff at; he's worth at least a couple million, according to multiple sources.