Alessandro Borghi

From Cinecittà Brawls to the David di Donatello

Alessandro Borghi wasn't looking for applause when he started working on sets in Rome in 2005. His job was to take hits, fall off motorcycles and roll across the ground so others could look good on camera. He worked as a stunt double because his physique let him earn a decent living while others dreamed of stardom.

And his body held up.

His move from stunt work to acting was no mystical turn. It came down to presence. In 2011, he landed small roles in Italian TV series where his sharp jawline and aggressive stare fit the mold of the neighborhood tough guy. But the real change came in 2015 with two projects that pulled him out of the anonymity of extras.

That year he shot Non essere cattivo under the direction of Claudio Caligari. The director was dying of cancer, and Borghi threw himself into the role of a drug addict on the outskirts of Rome, which demanded an intensity he didn't even know he had. The film premiered posthumously in Venice, and Italian critics stopped seeing him as a gym-built pretty boy.

That same 2015, Suburra premiered. His portrayal of Aureliano Adami was so powerful that the production company didn't hesitate to bring him back for the series version Netflix released in 2017. The character became a shadow that followed him for three seasons and turned him into a global face.

Hunger and the Mountain

Borghi doesn't believe in the Method, but he does believe in radical physical transformation. To play Stefano Cucchi in Sulla mia pelle in 2018, he had to lose eighteen kilos in just a few months. The film depicted the final week in the life of a young man who died in police custody after a brutal beating.

He ate just enough to stay on his feet. The result was a raw performance that earned him the David di Donatello for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2019. It was the moment the industry realized Borghi wasn't just a crime-genre actor but someone capable of carrying the political weight of a nation.

But success in Italy felt too limiting for him.

In 2020, he made his move into the international market with the series Devils. He had to shoot in English alongside Patrick Dempsey and learn the technical jargon of high finance. It was a logistical challenge because Borghi has always insisted on his Roman identity and accent, but the project performed well in European and American markets.

In 2022, he shot Le otto montagne in the Italian Alps. It was a complex production where the weather dictated the pace of the scenes. The film won the Jury Prize at Cannes and proved that Borghi could carry a quiet, contemplative drama without relying on the physical violence of his early roles.

The Risks of Total Exposure

Borghi often says he prefers characters who have something broken inside them. In 2024, he accepted the role of Rocco Siffredi in the series Supersex. It wasn't an easy decision, since it meant stepping into the shoes of one of the most controversial figures in Italian popular culture, under the scrutiny of political correctness.

He prepared for the shoot by studying Siffredi's interviews for months. The goal wasn't to imitate him but to understand the loneliness of a man who turned his intimacy into a multimillion-dollar industry.

The production of 2024 was a ratings hit but sparked intense debate over the depiction of sex on mainstream television. Borghi stayed out of the controversy and focused on his next technical project. His own production company is already handling his projects so he doesn't have to depend on casting directors' calls.

He still lives in Rome and avoids the social events of the capital. In 2024, he finished shooting Campo di battaglia for Gianni Amelio. The film was shot mainly on locations in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, with a budget that exceeded ten million euros.