Who is Eugenio Franceschini? All About the Actor Who Plays Marcello in 'Emily in Paris' Season 5

Light spoilers for Emily in Paris seasons 4 and 5 ahead. For its first three seasons, Emily in Paris was built on three things: fish-out-of-water hijinks as American ad whiz Emily (Lily Collins) adapted to the City of Lights, maximal French fashions, and love triangles. Whether it was Emily-Gabriel-Camille or Gabriel-Emily-Alfie, the course of Emily's love life has never run smoothly. However, by the end of season 4's first five episodes, it seemed like the titular character had finally begun the start of her happily ever after with her handsome chef neighbor.

Enter Marcello Muratori, played by Italian actor Eugenio Franceschini. Emily's meet-cute with the mystery hottie takes place at the top of a snow-capped mountain, as he rescues her from a near-death experience after Gabriel abandons her to follow a pregnant Camille down the ski slope. Two episodes later, a newly single Emily runs into Marcello again at a polo game and takes him up on his offer to visit him in Rome. Once she arrives in Italy, it turns out that Marcello is far more than the "goat herder" he introduced himself as.

By the end of season 4, it was clear that the new character Marcello would be sticking around for Emily in Paris season 5. In the most recent episodes, which hit Netflix on December 18, 2025, Emily's new Italian romance is challenged by Marcello's reputation as a player and the complications of mixing work and pleasure. As Marcello returns to our screens, read on find out everything there is to know about Netflix's latest heartthrob, Eugenio Franceschini.

Eugenio Franceschini is a second-generation actor born in Verona, Italy.

Eugenio Franceschini, 34, was born to actor parents in September 1991 in Verona, Italy. In a 2012 interview with Vanity Fair Italia, he credited his parents as inspiring his love of acting.

"I discovered my passion for acting thanks to my father, a Veronese son of farmers who, after graduating in Medicine, gave up everything to be a street actor," he told the outlet. "His father never forgave him for that. In Bologna, he met my mother, an actress, good at puppets and children's theater. Together they traveled the world, and I with them."

According to Franceschini, he had a rebellious phase as a teenager, when he remained in Verona to go to high school and "did everything I had never done before." He eventually rejoined his father on the road, who encouraged him to pursue a career in film acting.

"I worked with my father for two years, alone, putting on shows," the actor says. "He was the one who told me that street theater was no longer a viable option, so I decided to try cinema. I didn't think I'd get into the school audition; only 18 out of 800 got through. When the results came out, I was with Dad in a bed and breakfast in Bilbao: It was the first time I saw him cry."

He's appeared in several stage and screen productions in Italy.

In his late teens, Franceschini moved to Rome to attend Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, Italy's prestigious national film school, which only admits a handful of applicants a year. He landed his first big acting roles while still a student; according to Vanity Fair Italia, he auditioned three times and won each part, all while in his second year of school.

Over his career, the Italian actor has starred in TV, film, and theater productions, including Grand Hotel, Medici, Back Home, Non mi lasciare, Black Out - Vite Sospese, and Màkari. In 2014, he received the Guglielmo Biraghi Award from the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists for his work in the rom-com films Sapore di te and Maldamore.

Eugenio Franceschini and Lily Collins became fast friends while filming together.

Speaking with PEOPLE, Franceschini recalled landing his Emily in Paris role while filming other projects. He said that the opportunity "snuck up on him," and described his experience on the show as an "unexpected gift" and a "great joy."

“Everything happened very quickly,” he told the outlet. ”When I was selected, I was filming a TV series here in Italy, so I didn't have time to realize what was happening. So, I threw myself into something."

The actor also added that he quickly got along with Collins. "I worked with Lily all the time, so, yeah, she is [my closest friend]," he told the outlet. He even gave Collins a special shout-out on his Instagram post promoting the show, where he wrote, "Thanks to [Emily in Paris director Andrew Fleming] and @lilyjcollins. You are special."

Eugenio Franceschini wasn't flustered by his nude scene in 'Emily in Paris' season 5.

Fans who've already binged season 5 know that viewers see a lot of Franceschini. In a pre-release interview with The Times, the Italian actor shared his experience filming a particular scene, in which Marcello stays over at Emily's place and runs into Mindy while he's still nude.

"I have done nude scenes before an audience in the theatre, I am very relaxed about this," he told the outlet. Recalling the "huge" number of intimacy coordinators on set, he added, "for the nude scene I was almost more embarrassed by all that attention than being naked...and I wasn’t entirely nude. I was wearing a small cover."

The actor also spoke a bit about his casting, saying that creator Darren Starr and Collins wanted someone to "punch up the passion" in the romance series.

“The message was clear. They wanted a contrast with her previous affairs in Paris. They wanted a character who sparked an attraction that was less romantic and a bit more physical. They wanted to see this aspect of Italians—that we use our physicality,” he said. “Lily’s feedback was important to my casting. The directors and showrunners really listen to her. She said she got on well with me.”

Eugenio Franceschini is a fan of Shakespeare and Italian crooners.

The Emily in Paris star appears to be a bit of an old soul. In several interviews, he says he's a fan of legendary singer-songwriters like Francesco Guccini and Fabrizio De André. He also describes himself as reserved, telling Rolling Stone Italia in 2018, "I am not very open as a person, but I think this is a cultural legacy of my country. Then, I have a very calm nature in everyday life; I am not one who gets excited easily. Big problems make me angry, not bullshit."

In addition to being born in the fair city of Verona, Franceschini is a fan of Shakespeare. According to Rolling Stone Italia, he got a tattoo dedicated to the Bard when he was 17, which includes a quote from his favorite character, Prospero of The Tempest: "We are such stuff as dreams are made on."

"It happened after a very particular evening at Sziget," he said of the night he got the tattoo. "After the Metallica concert, it started pouring, the Danube came up, half of the island of Óbuda was flooded, and they turned off the generators. They started playing drums, we danced in the rain. The next morning, going back to the tent, I got the tattoo: It wasn’t done in the best way, but that’s okay, the story behind it is beautiful, and the fact that it came out a little badly increases its meaning."

Eugenio Franceschini is not a huge fan of social media.

Fans can follow Franceschini on Instagram at @franceschinieugenio, but fair warning: The actor isn't that active online. Speaking with Rolling Stone Italia in 2018, he revealed that he didn't have a smartphone and often waited to access the Internet at home in the evening. He said, "I don't have anything against those who think differently; it's my thing. I get annoyed by people who use their cell phones in public: In the midst of people, it's important to concentrate on who you have in front of you."

At the time of the interview, he had just opened his Instagram, mostly because of work. "Now, little by little, my agent and my girlfriend have opened an Instagram profile for me,” he said at the time. “They are trying to get me closer to this world, but the photos I post are always taken by someone."

Nowadays, the actor continues to keep most of his personal life private, as seen on his relatively sparse Instagram feed.