Friends guest-star Cosimo Fusco reacts to comments over his ‘unrecognizable’ transformation

There are many memorable relationships on Friends, but one fans might not want to remember is Paolo and Rachel Green’s romance from way back in season 1. Paolo first appears in the episode “The One With The Blackout,” meeting Rachel in their apartment building and quickly striking up a flirtationship. But after shadily coming onto Phoebe Buffay, Paolo proves himself to be a sleazy guy and Rachel dumps him.

But of course, that isn’t the last we see of Paolo, as he makes another appearance in the season 2 episode “The One With Ross’s New Girlfriend.” Rachel, in a moment of weakness, hooks up with Paolo as a way to try and distract herself from Ross Geller. Fortunately for Rachel, she doesn’t rekindle the romance and moves on from Paolo for good. That’s the last we see of Paolo and the actor who portrays him, Cosimo Fusco.

And if you’ve ever wondered what Fusco has been up to since his time on Friends, you wouldn’t be alone.

According to a new report from The Sun this week, Fusco has apparently gone through a transformation since his time on the sitcom, now looking “unrecognizable.” The publication notes it’s been 27 years since he played Rachel’s romantic interest, so one would assume he would look different nowadays. In my opinion, it looks like he just got older, and Fusco seemingly agrees.

Cosimo Fusco then and now

The 59-year-old actor took to Instagram to react to the article, sharing a screenshot and asking in his caption: “Come on! Am I that unrecognizable??” Check out the post below, along with the before and after.

Commenters got a kick out of Fusco’s post, with one person cheekily writing, “Fishing for compliments!” Another said, “Still very handsome, Cosimo, but even more sophisticated and charismatic!”

You can see another recent photo of Fusco from Oct. 2021 down below.

Fusco is an Italian actor, and most of his resume is made up of Italian projects. Since Friends, he’s appeared in shows such as The Falcon and the Dove and 30 Coins, and he also had a role in the 2009 movie Angels & Demons starring Tom Hanks.

All the stars of Friends have obviously gotten older, so it’s good to see Fusco can poke fun at himself! You can stream all 10 seasons of the comedy right now on HBO Max.