My Brilliant Friend () is a Neapolitan- and Italian-language coming-of-age drama television series created by Saverio Costanzo for HBO, RAI, and TIMvision. Named after the first of four novels in the Neapolitan Novels series by Elena Ferrante, the series is an adaptation of the entire literary work into four seasons. My Brilliant Friend is a co-production between Italian production companies Wildside, Fandango, The Apartment Pictures, Mowe and international film groups Umedia and Fremantle.
The following is a list of cast members and respective characters who appeared on the television series My Brilliant Friend. The majority of the cast has changed multiple times across the series to better portray the characters as they age.
Cast and characters Overview Character Actor Season 1 2 3 4 Main charactersElena "Lenù" Greco Infant Ingrid Del Genio colspan="3" Child Elisa Del Genio colspan="2" Teen Margherita Mazzucco colspan="3" Adult Alba Rohrwacher colspan="2" Elder Elisabetta De Palo colspan="2" Raffaella "Lila" Cerullo Child Ludovica Nasti colspan="2" Teen Gaia Girace colspan="3" Adult colspan="3" Immacolata Greco Anna Rita Vitolo colspan="4" Vittorio Greco Luca Gallone colspan="4" Manuela Solara colspan="3" Silvio Solara colspan="2" Nunzia Cerullo colspan="2" Fernando Cerullo Antonio Buonanno colspan="2" Miss Oliviero colspan="2" colspan="2" Michele Solara Teen colspan="3" Adult Edoardo Pesce colspan="3" Stefano Carracci Child Kristijan Di Giacomo colspan="3" Teen Giovanni Amura colspan="2" Adult Giorgio Pinto colspan="3" Rino Cerullo Child Tommaso Rusciano colspan="3" Teen Gennaro De Stefano colspan="2" Adult Salvatore Striano colspan="3" Giovanni "Nino" Sarratore Child Alessandro Nardi colspan="3" Teen Francesco Serpico colspan="2" Adult Fabrizio Gifuni colspan="3" Pinuccia Carracci Child Giuliana Tramontano colspan="3" Teen Federica Sollazzo colspan="2" Adult Giovanna Cappuccio colspan="3" Professor Galiani Young Anna Redi colspan="3" Adult Clotilde Sabatino colspan="2" Ada Cappuccio Child Lucia Manfuso colspan="3" Teen Ulrike Migliaresi colspan="2" Adult Fabiana Fazio colspan="3" Antonio Cappuccio Child Domenico Cuomo colspan="3" Teen Christian Giroso colspan="2" Adult Massimiliano Rossi colspan="3" Pasquale Peluso Child Francesco Catena colspan="3" Teen Eduardo Scarpetta colspan="2" Enzo Scanno Child Vincenzo Vaccaro colspan="3" Teen colspan="2" Adult Pio Stellaccio colspan="3" Bruno Soccavo Francesco Russo colspan="2" Franco Mari Teen Bruno Orlando colspan="2" Adult Stefano Dionisi colspan="3" Adele Airota colspan="2" Pietro Airota Teen Matteo Cecchi Adult colspan="3" Maria Rosa Airota Teen Giulia Mazzarino Adult Sonia Bergamasco colspan="3" Guido Airota Gabriele Vacis Silvia Teen Maria Vittoria Dallasta colspan="2" Adult Alice Piano colspan="3" Gino Riccardo Palmieri colspan="2" Nadia Galiani Giorgia Gargano Alfonso Carracci Child Valerio Laviano Saggese colspan="3" Teen Fabrizio Cottone colspan="2" Adult Renato De Simone colspan="3" Gigliola Spagnuolo Child Alice D'Antonio colspan="3" Teen Rosaria Langellotto colspan="2" Adult Demi Licata colspan="3" Melina Cappuccio Pina Di Gennaro colspan="2" Carmela "Carmen" Peluso Child Francesca Bellamoli colspan="3" Teen Francesca Pezzella colspan="2" Adult Lucia D'Ambra colspan="3" Adele "Dede" Airota Infant Sofia Luchetti colspan="2" Child Vittoria Cozza colspan="3" Teen Ludovica Rita Di Meglio colspan="3" Gennaro "Gennarino" Carracci Infant Daniel Campagna colspan="2" Infant Giuseppe Cortese Child Salvatore Tortora colspan="2" Teen Francesco Ferrante colspan="3" Adult Alessio Galati colspan="3" Marcello Solara Child Pietro Vuolo colspan="3" Teen Elvis Esposito colspan="2" Adult Lino Musella colspan="3" Elisa Greco Infant Sara Mauriello colspan="3" Infant Cristina Fraticola colspan="2" colspan="2" Child Gaia Buongiovanni Teen Francesca Montuori colspan="2" Adult colspan="3" Eleonora Sarratore Teen Chiara Celotto colspan="2" Adult Valeria Bello colspan="3" Elsa Airota Infant Aria and Luce Milighetti colspan="2" Infant Sophia Protino colspan="2" Child Fatima Credendino colspan="3" Child Adriana Trotta colspan="3" Teen Dominique Donnarumma colspan="3" Featured characters Don Achille Carracci Antonio Pennarella colspan="3" Nella Incardo Nunzia Schiano colspan="2" colspan="2" Armando Galiani Giovanni Cannata colspan="2" Juan Edu Rejón colspan="2" A Doctor Giulia Pica colspan="2" Giuntini Claudio Lardo colspan="2" Lila's Cardiologist Mirko Setaro colspan="2" Lila's Neurologist Vittorio Ciorcalo colspan="2" Mario's Friend Giovanni Toscano colspan="2" Mario Gioia Eugenio Di Fraia colspan="2" Clelia Rebecca Fanucchi colspan="2" Maria Rosa's Boyfriend Iacopo Ricciotti colspan="2"
Main
The following actors are credited in the opening titles.
Elisa Del Genio (season 1; guest season 2), Margherita Mazzucco (seasons 1–3), Alba Rohrwacher (season 4; cameo season 3), and Elisabetta De Palo (featured season 4; guest season 1) as Elena "Lenù" Greco, a girl from a poor neighbourhood in the outskirts of 1950s Naples. Rohrwacher also narrates the events of the series from the point of view of adult Elena Greco. The character is also portrayed by Ingrid Del Genio (guest season 1) as a very young child. Ludovica Nasti (season 1; guest season 2), Gaia Girace (seasons 1–3; special appearance season 4), and Irene Maiorino (season 4) as Raffaella "Lila" Cerullo, Elena's best friend and later, Stefano Carracci's wife Anna Rita Vitolo as Immacolata Greco, Elena's mother Luca Gallone as Vittorio Greco, a porter and Elena's father as Manuela Solara (seasons 1–3), Silvio Solara's wife, Michele and Marcello's mother as Silvio Solara (season 1; recurring season 2), owner of the Bar Solara as Nunzia Cerullo (seasons 1–2, 4), Lila's mother Antonio Buonanno as Fernando Cerullo (seasons 1–3; recurring season 4), a shoemaker and Lila's father as Miss Oliviero (seasons 1–2), Elena and Lila's elementary school teacher (seasons 1–3) and Edoardo Pesce (season 4) as Michele Solara, Silvio and Manuela's son. The character is also portrayed by Adriano Tammaro (recurring season 1) as a child. as Nella Incardo (seasons 1–2), Miss Oliviero's cousin in Ischia Giovanni Amura (seasons 2–3; recurring season 1) as Stefano Carracci, Don Achille Carracci's son and, later, Lila's husband. The character is also portrayed by Kristijan Di Giacomo (recurring season 1) as a child and by Giorgio Pinto (recurring season 4) as an adult. Gennaro De Stefano (season 2; recurring season 1) and Salvatore Striano (season 4) as Rino Cerullo, Lila's older brother and, later, Pinuccia's husband. The character is also portrayed by Tommaso Rusciano (recurring season 1) as a child. Francesco Serpico (seasons 2–3; recurring season 1) and Fabrizio Gifuni (season 4) as Giovanni "Nino" Sarratore, Donato and Lidia's son. The character is also portrayed by Alessandro Nardi (guest season 1) as a child. Federica Sollazzo (season 2; recurring season 1) as Pinuccia Carracci, Don Achille's daughter and, later, Rino's wife. The character is also portrayed by Giuliana Tramontano (recurring season 1) as a child and by Giovanna Cappuccio (recurring season 4) as an adult. as Professor Galiani (seasons 2–3), Elena's high school teacher. The character is also portrayed by Anna Redi (recurring season 1) as a younger woman. Ulrike Migliaresi (season 2; recurring season 1) as Ada Cappuccio, Melina Cappuccio's daughter. The character is also portrayed by Lucia Manfuso (recurring season 1) as a child and by Fabiana Fazio (recurring season 4) as an adult. Christian Giroso (season 2; recurring season 1) as Antonio Cappuccio, Melina Cappuccio's son. The character is also portrayed by Domenico Cuomo (recurring season 1) as a child and by Massimiliano Rossi (recurring season 4) as an adult. Eduardo Scarpetta as Pasquale Peluso (seasons 2–3; recurring season 1, featured season 4), Alfredo and Giuseppina's son. The character is also portrayed by Francesco Catena (recurring season 1) as a child. (seasons 2–3; recurring season 1) and Pio Stellaccio (season 4) as Enzo Scanno, Nicola and Assunta's son. The character is also portrayed by Vincenzo Vaccaro (recurring season 1) as a child. Giovanni Cannata as Armando Galiani (seasons 2–3), Professor Galiani's son Francesco Russo as Bruno Soccavo (seasons 2–3), Nino's friend Bruno Orlando (seasons 2–3) and Stefano Dionisi (season 4) as Franco Mari, Elena's first boyfriend in Pisa as Adele Airota (seasons 2–4), Pietro Airota's mother Matteo Cecchi (seasons 2–3) and (season 4) as Pietro Airota, Elena's second boyfriend in Pisa and later, husband Giulia Mazzarino (season 3; recurring season 2) and Sonia Bergamasco (season 4) as Maria Rosa Airota, Pietro's sister as Guido Airota (season 3; recurring seasons 2, 4), Pietro's father Maria Vittoria Dallasta (season 3) as Silvia, a student and a young mother. The character is also portrayed by Alice Piano (recurring season 4) as an adult. Riccardo Palmieri as Gino (season 3; recurring seasons 1–2), Elena's classmate and first boyfriend Giorgia Gargano as Nadia Galiani (season 3; recurring season 2, featured season 4), Professor Galiani's daughter Fabrizio Cottone (season 3; recurring seasons 1–2) and Renato De Simone (season 4) as Alfonso Carracci, Don Achille's son. The character is also portrayed by Valerio Laviano Saggese (recurring season 1) as a child. Rosaria Langellotto (season 3; recurring seasons 1–2) as Gigliola Spagnuolo, Mr. Spagnuolo's daughter. The character is also portrayed by Alice D'Antonio (recurring season 1) as a child and by Demi Licata (recurring season 4) as an adult. Pina Di Gennaro as Melina Cappuccio (season 3; recurring seasons 1–2, 4), a crazy widow Francesca Pezzella (season 3; recurring seasons 1–2) as Carmela "Carmen" Peluso, Alfredo and Giuseppina's daughter. The character is also portrayed by Francesca Bellamoli (recurring season 1) as a child and by Lucia D'Ambra (recurring season 4) as an adult. Sofia Luchetti (season 3), Vittoria Cozza (season 4) and Ludovica Rita Di Meglio (season 4) as Adele "Dede" Airota, Elena and Pietro's daughter Salvatore Tortora (season 3) as Gennaro "Gennarino" Carracci, Lila's son. The character is also portrayed by Daniel Campagna (guest season 2), Giuseppe Cortese (recurring season 3; guest season 2) as a child and by Francesco Ferrante (recurring season 4) as a teenager and by Alessio Galati (recurring season 4) as a young adult. Elvis Esposito (season 3; recurring seasons 1–2) and Lino Musella (season 4) as Marcello Solara, Manuela and Silvio's son. The character is also portrayed by Pietro Vuolo (recurring season 1) as a child. Francesca Montuori (season 3) and (season 4) as Elisa Greco, Elena's younger sister. The character is also portrayed by Sara Mauriello (recurring season 1), Cristina Fraticola (recurring seasons 1–2) and Gaia Buongiovanni (recurring season 3; guest season 2) as a child. Chiara Celotto (season 3) as Eleonora, Nino's wife. The character is also portrayed by Valeria Bello (guest season 4). Sophia Protino (season 3), Fatima Credendino (season 4) and Adriana Trotta (season 4) as Elsa Airota, Elena and Pietro's daughter. The character is also portrayed by Aria and Luce Milighetti (guests season 3) as a very young child and by Dominique Donnarumma (guest season 4) as a teenager.
Featured The following actors are credited in the opening titles of a single episode of the series.
Antonio Pennarella as Don Achille Carracci (season 1), the local mobster Edu Rejón as Juan (season 3), a student in Milan Giulia Pica as a doctor (season 3), who provides contraceptives in Naples Claudio Lardo as Giuntini (season 3), chief editor at l'Unità Mirko Setaro as Lila's cardiologist (season 3) Vittorio Ciorcalo as Lila's neurologist (season 3) Giovanni Toscano as Mario's friend (season 3), a student in Florence Eugenio Di Fraia as Mario Gioia (season 3), an engineer in Florence Rebecca Fanucchi as Clelia (season 3), Adele's baby sitter in Florence