New Italian-language miniseries My Brilliant Friend premiered this week on HBO and Sky Atlantic. The drama is an adaptation of the beloved Neapolitan Novels series by Elena Ferrante. A coming of age story, the eight-episode series follows a friendship between two young girls in Naples in the 1950s.
Who is in the cast of My Brilliant Friend on HBO?
My Brilliant Friend has a cast of unknowns playing the lead roles.
The story follows two friends Elena ‘Lenù’ Greco and Raffaella ‘Lila’ Cerullo.
The synopsis from HBO reads: “When the most important friend in her life seems to have disappeared without a trace, Elena Greco, a now-elderly woman immersed in a house full of books, turns on her computer and starts writing the story of their friendship.”
Both Elena and Lila are portrayed as children and teenagers.
So there are two actors playing each character at the different stages in their lives.
All four actresses are complete newcomers with My Brilliant Friend being their first acting roles ever.
Elena Greco (Younger) – Elisa Del Genio
As a child, the character of Elena is described as “the daughter of a poor family in Naples, Elena is precise, neat, and very intelligent”.
Elena Greco (Teenager) – Margherita Mazzucco
As a teenager, Elena is Teenage Elena is “dealing with the challenges of puberty and academic ambition”.
Raffaella ‘Lila’ Cerullo (Younger) – Ludovica Nasti
A young Lila is “the daughter of a shoemaker, is unruly at times, mischievous and incredibly gifted academically”.
Raffaella ‘Lila’ Cerullo (Teenager) – Gaia Grace
As a teenager, Lila’s character description reads: “Despite not continuing on in school, an older — but still willful — Lila studies on her own.”
A statement from HBO on the casting of the series revealed that almost 9,000 children auditioned.
“Casting for the show took place over a period of eight months, with almost 9,000 children and 500 adults from all over Campania auditioning.
“The casting process included professional and non-professional actors, as well as students recruited from local schools.
“Newcomers Elisa Del Genio and Ludovica Nasti were chosen to portray the two lead roles of Elena and Lila as young children.
“As production on the series progresses, these young actresses have given way to teenage actresses Margherita Mazzucco as Elena and Gaia Grace as Lila.
“In total, My Brilliant Friend is expected to include a cast of more than 150 actors and 5,000 extras.”
My Brilliant Friend airs on HBO and Sky Atlantic on Sundays and Mondays
