My Brilliant Friend is an Italian and Neapolitan language coming-of-age drama television series that premiered on HBO, RAI, and TIMvision. The miniseries is an adaptation of Italian novelist Elena Ferrante's 2011 novel of the same name. The book, like its television adaptation, focuses on female friendship, social class, and identity in post-war Naples.
Originally published between 2011 and 2015, Elena Ferrante's four books gained recognition with millions of readers around the world falling under the spell of Elena (also known as Lenù) and her 'dazzling, terrible' friend Lila.
But, the TV adaptation of My Brilliant Friend has flown under the radar. The series takes its name from the novels written by Elena Ferrante. It translates the four-volume literary work into four seasons.
The first season, based on the first novel in the series, was broadcast on HBO on November 18, 2018 and on Rai 1 and TIMvision on 27 November 2018. The second season, based on the second novel in the book series entitled "The Story of a New Name", premiered on February 10, 2020 on Rai and on March 16, 2020 on HBO.
The series was officially launched on February 6, 2022 on Rai and on February 28, 2022 respectively, on HBO and is adapted from the novel "Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay".
Finally, the show premiered its fourth and final season on September 9, 2024 on HBO and on September 11, 2024 on Rai. The fourth season was adapted from the final novel entitled "The Story of the Lost Child".
Exploring all the cast and the characters in My Brilliant Friend throughout the four seasons
Main Cast and their characters
Season 1 of My Brilliant Friend:
When her best friend disappears without a word, old Elena Greco, surrounded by stacks of books, decides to write her story on her computer.
As Elena reminisces her old days, she recalls events from different stages of her life, hence her and Lila’s characters are being played by multiple casts.
- Alba Rohrwacher as adult Elena Greco
- Elisabeth De Palo as an elderly Elena
- Elisa Del Genio as young Elena
- Ingrid Del Genio as a very young Elina
- Gaia Girace as Raffaella “Lila” Cerullo
- Ludovica Nasti as young Lila
- Anna Rita Vitolo as Immacolata Greco
- Luca Gallone as Vittorio Greco
- Imma Villa as Manuela Solara
- Antonio Milo as Silvio Solara
- Valentina Acca as Nunzia Cerullo
- Antonio Buonanno as Fernando Cerullo
- Dora Romano as Miss Oliviero
- Antonio Pennarella as Don Achille Carracci
- Nunzia Schiano as Nella Incardo
- Francesco Serpico as Nino Sarratore
Season 2 of My Brilliant Friend
In the second season, the girls go on holiday to Ischia and set off separately, Lila to open a shoe shop in Naples, Elena to return to school in Pisa. Here is a complete list of the cast and the characters they play in season 2 of My Brilliant Friend:
- Margherita Mazzucco as Elena "Lenù" Greco
- Alba Rohrwacher as adult Elena Greco
- Gaia Girace as Raffaella "Lila" Cerullo
- Anna Rita Vitolo as Immacolata Greco
- Luca Gallone as Vittorio Greco
- Imma Villa as Manuela Solara
- Alessio Gallo as Michele Solara
- Valentina Acca as Nunzia Cerullo
- Antonio Buonanno as Fernando Cerullo
- Dora Romano as Miss Oliviero
- Nunzia Schiano as Nella Incardo
- Giovanni Amura as Stefano Carracci
- Gennaro De Stefano as Rino Cerullo
- Francesco Serpico as Nino Sarratore
- Federica Sollazzo as Pinuccia Carracci
- Clotilde Sabatino as Professor Galiani
- Ulrike Migliaresi as Ada Cappuccio
- Christian Giroso as Antonio Cappuccio
- Eduardo Scarpetta as Pasquale Peluso
- Giovanni Buselli as Enzo Scanno
- Giovanni Cannata as Armando Galiani
- Francesco Russo as Bruno Soccavo
- Bruno Orlando as Franco Mari
- Daria Deflorian as Adele Airota
- Matteo Cecchi as Pietro Airota
Season 3 of My Brilliant Friend
Lila is alone, bringing up a young boy and working long hours in the factory where she makes sausages, under extremely difficult conditions. Elena graduated from university, wrote a bestseller, and married into a family of academics.
Here is a complete list of the cast and the characters they play in season 3 of My Brilliant Friend:
- Margherita Mazzucco as Elena “Lenu” Greco
- Alba Rohrwacher as Elena “Lenu” Greco
- Gaia Girace as Raffaella “Lila” Cerullo
- Imma Villa as Manuela Solara
- Antonio Buonanno as Fernando Cerullo
- Alessio Galloas Michele Solara
- Giovanni Amura as Stefano Carracci
- Francesco Serpico as Nino Sarratore
- Clotilde Sabatino as Professor Galiani
- Eduardo Scarpetta as Pasquale Peluso
- Giovanni Buselli as Enzo Scanno
- Giovanni Cannata as Armando Galiani
- Francesco Russo as Bruno Soccavo
- Matteo Cecchi as Pietro Airota
- Giulia Mazzarino as Maria Rosa Airota
- Maria Vittoria Dallasta as Silvia
- Riccardo Palmieri as Gino
- Giorgia Gargano as Nadia Galiani
- Fabrizio Cottone as Alfonso Carracci
- Rosaria Langellotto as Gigliola Spagnuolo
- Pina Di Gennaro as Melina Cappuccio
- Francesca Pezzella as Carmela "Carmen" Peluso
- Sofia Luchetti as Adele "Dede" Airota
- Salvatore Tortora as Gennaro "Gennarino" Carracci
- Giuseppe Cortese as a child
- Elvis Esposito as Marcello Solara
- Francesca Montuori as Elisa Greco
- Gaia Buongiovanni as a child
- Chiara Celotto as Eleonora, Nino's wife
- Sophia Protino as Elsa Airota
Season 4 of My Brilliant Friend
Elena enjoys her triumphs as a writer but is equally unfulfilled in her marriage to the scholarly Pietro. Lila leads a hard life as a meat packer. When Nino resumes contact with Elena, she takes the bold step of leaving her husband for him.
Here is a complete list of the cast and the characters they play in season 4 of My Brilliant Friend:
- Alba Rohrwacher - Lenu/Elena
- Irene Maiorino - Lila
- Fabrizio Gifuni - Nino Sarratore
- Anna Rita Vitolo - Immacolata Greco
- Pier Giorgio Bellocchio - Pietro Airota
- Daria Deflorian - Adele Airota
- Fatima Credendino - Elsa Airota
- Vittoria Coza - Dede Airota
- Gaia Girace - Lila Cerulo (young)
- Stefano Dionisi - Franco Mari
- Sonia Bergamasco - Mariarosa Airota
- Adalgisa Manfrida - Doriana
- Gabriele Vacis - Guido Ariota
The cast who left My Brilliant Friend
Some of the regular cast of My Brilliant Friend left after Season 3 to make way for fresh faces in the fourth and final season.
Margherita Mazzucco, who previously played Elena "Lenù" Greco and Gaia Girace, who previously played Raffaella "Lila" Cerullo have been replaced by Alba Rohrwacher and Irene Maiorino in the respective roles. Meanwhile, Fabrizio Gifuni plays the role of Nino Sarratore in the fourth season of the show.
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You can stream the hit show My Brilliant Friend on HBO Max.
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