Friends hunk looks unrecognisable – 30 years on from hit sitcom debut

AN actor from the early episodes of Friends now looks totally different to his sitcom character 30 years ago.

Anyone who remembers the early beginnings of Rachel and Ross, played by Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer, will remember there was another love interest complicating their romance.

Italian hunk Paolo, played by Cosimo Fusco, initially swept Rachel off her feet in Friends and meant poor Ross couldn’t even get a look in.

With his suave looks, Italian accent and muscled physique, he was the perfect piece of eye candy for Rachel after she settled into living with Monica and building a life for herself.

Yet Paolo wasn’t the dreamy man he appeared to be, and was actually a love rat who then tried it on with Phoebe behind Rachel’s back.

Cosimo first appeared in the first season of Friends, with his entrance in the seventh episode titled The One with the Blackout.

His role in the sitcom was short-lived though, as he exited just five episodes later after his pass at Phoebe resulted in an unceremonious dumping by Rachel.

He was brought back for a very quick cameo in season two when Rachel was left upset over Ross’ new romance with Julie so turned to comfort from Paolo and spent the night with him.

It wasn’t just Friends that Cosimo starred in, as he also took up roles in films like Gone in Sixty Seconds and Angels & Demons, as well as TV shows including Alias and The Mentalist.

The actor’s latest appearance has sparked fan interest after a picture of him was shared online in a Reddit thread.

In the snap, Cosimo – who is now 62 – looks handsome and chiselled as ever but a world away from the slimy Italian love rat we saw in Friends.

One user commented: “Aged like a fine wine (way better now than in 94).”

Another shared: “Man he’s good looking. But then again he always was.”

“Waaaaaay more attractive now. I can’t tell if it’s the hair, the outfit or both,” said a third.

Others also picked up on his style as one user pointed out: “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.”

Cosimo continues to act, and on New Year’s Eve last year he shared a promo for his HBO Europe TV series 30 Monedas on Instagram.

He told fans: “Thanks to all my Spanish family for the fantastic past year and the memorable new year ahead.”