What it Means to Be Michele Morrone

It’s a bright Friday morning in Milan.

The air’s crisp and the street’s already humming with anticipation as Michele Morrone walks into the Radisson Collection Palazzo Touring Club for his photoshoot with Esquire India. Wearing a green vintage T-shirt and distressed jeans, trainers and a pair of sunglasses, not looking like the smouldering fantasy millions have seen on screen but more like a stylish model who’s just stepped out for an espresso. There’s no entourage, no scene. Just Morrone and an assistant.

He shakes hands with everyone, and gets down to discussing the style and vibe of the shoot with Esquire India Fashion Director Vijendra Bhardwaj. He studies the rack of clothes with an easy familiarity, and grins: “Ah, I can see the Indian flavour,” he says, referring to the bespoke creations by Manish Malhotra, one of India’s most revered couturiers and costume designers, that have been flown in for the shoot.

There’s an effortless charm to Morrone—confident yet curious, the kind of man who knows exactly who he is but still takes time to connect. He’s got history with our photographer, having collaborated on many editorials before. “George [Livieratos] gets me, he understands my vibe and what I like,” he says. On set, the actor is not shy or standoffish; in fact, he’s got a sharp, spicy sense of humour. There’s a lot of laughing, teasing, trading instructions and inside jokes—mostly in Italian.

He’s noticeably leaner than the broad-chested heartthrob from his breakout film, 365 Days—a deliberate shift, he says, for his upcoming film Maserati: The Brothers, a project he’s excited about. Still, the flutter around him is unmistakable.

At the hotel, and later, when we spill out onto the street for a few frames, heads turn instantly. Within minutes, a small crowd forms. Passersby whip out their phones, and the team scrambles to politely dissuade them. Morrone, ever composed, keeps it professional. “Only the photographer’s camera should be used to click pictures on set, please,” he says firmly but without arrogance.

Before the camera, he’s lightning. Precise, fluid, slipping in and out of outfits, switching expressions, angles and personas. He moves with instinctive rhythm. Sharp poses and fleeting glances, pausing only to tilt toward his preferred side. Watching him work is like watching muscle memory in motion. It makes one ponder over whether there are some individuals for whom ‘bad angles’ simply don’t exist.

But when the world sees perfection, how do you stay real? Does the man in the mirror ever feel like someone else?

“Yes, what people see isn’t the same as what I see in the mirror. I’m just a normal man—I’ve lived with myself for 35 years,” he shares. Being a father keeps him rooted. “I’m teaching my kids something every day, and I don’t want to overdo things that could affect them negatively. That’s the best way to stay grounded,” says the man who once had to lock himself indoors to escape the avalanche of attention that came with his first film.

Before fame found him, Morrone’s story was far from cinematic. He grew up with big dreams and humble beginnings in Puglia, deciding at just 11 that he wanted to be an actor after watching Harry Potter. School plays became his stage, and later, training at Teatro Fraschini in Pavia gave his passion direction. When he moved to Rome to chase the dream, life was far from glamorous. In between smaller roles and working as a singer and musician, he took odd jobs, even laying parquet floors, while auditioning for commercials and minor parts in Italian TV series, Sirene and Medici.

At one point, Morrone found himself working as a gardener—a job that paid little but kept him steady. But destiny had its own script, as always and in 2020, everything changed when he was cast as Massimo Torricelli in the Polish erotic drama 365 Days on Netflix. Overnight, the world knew his name and the man who once tended gardens in anonymity was suddenly thrust into the spotlight, tending now to the wild, unruly bloom of global fame. Two back-to-back sequels followed in 2022—365 Days: This Day and The Next 365 Days—cementing his status as an international phenomenon. Then came Subservience with Megan Fox in 2024, followed by Another Simple Favor alongside Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick, and the horror thriller Home Sweet Home: Rebirth—both in 2025. Each role marked a deliberate step away from the sexy but ruthless archetype that made him famous, revealing an actor intent on broadening his range and rewriting his own narrative, one film at a time. Pivoting from sex symbol to serious star can be quite an arc, but Morrone insists he has no master plan. “Whenever I receive a script, I read it and I just fall in love, and it clicks something in me. It clicks a challenge in me. And that is why I choose my characters and my films. It has to click something in me that is incredible,” he says, revealing he’s very excited about his upcoming projects coming out in December. “The Housemaid is my second film with director Paul Feig and the film is a wild ride based on the bestselling book. I am also very excited about The Gentlemen directed by Guy Ritchie. I had an amazing time working with Guy, Theo James and the rest of the cast,” he shares.

Catapulting him into a different stratosphere is his turn as Alfieri Il Maserati in the upcoming film, Maserati: The Brothers, directed by Academy Award-winner Bobby Moresco, who co-wrote Crash and Million Dollar Baby. With a powerhouse cast that includes Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino, Andy Garcia and Jessica Alba, among others, the film charts the rise of the Maserati family and their legacy in the world of automotive innovation. “It was an incredible experience working opposite two legendary actors, Al Pacino and Anthony Hopkins, that I always dreamed about working with as a kid when I watched their movies,” says the actor. “We had an incredible time shooting these memorable scenes together even though we were dressed for winter, and it was over 90 degrees every day in Milan,” he says, with a laugh.

Among the career highlights of 2025, Morrone has also played muse to designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. Published by Rizzoli, Bellissimo, a book that pays tribute to the many facets of his personality, from music and cinema to design and fashion, was launched in Milan in October.

For all the recognition that modelling has brought him, Morrone treats style the way he does fame—with ease. “I like to feel comfortable with myself, and I don’t really care if what I’m wearing is liked by people or not,” he shrugs. “It’s just about me.”

For a man who’s bared it all on screen, Morrone remains remarkably guarded about certain things. His private life, for one. There’s a certain old-world discretion to him; the kind that places mystery over confession and restraint over revelation. A quiet refusal to let fame claim what he still holds sacred.

He sidesteps questions we broach about his divorce, love, intimacy and present relationship. But ask him what the biggest misconception about him is, and he doesn’t hesitate. “The biggest misconception people have—probably from some of my film roles—is that I’m extremely outgoing. In reality, I’m an introvert. I’d much rather be at home writing, making music, painting, or spending time with my family than being out,” he says.

What does he believe makes someone truly irresistible? He thinks it’s a matter of taste. “There’s no universal way or law that people have to follow. You can like me, but someone else may not like me so it’s about taste,” he says.

You mention his easy charisma, that almost untouchable aura, and he smiles. What scares him then? “Losing my kids. Losing the people I love,” says the actor, who shares sons, Marcus (11) and Brando (8), with his ex-wife, designer Rouba Saadeh. He makes the most of his time with them, even though they don’t live in Los Angeles. “I love spending time with my kids,” he told People magazine in 2022. “We love to go to the beach and just relax, play, or I’ll grab my guitar and start making music.”

Calm, confident, and cool, Morrone carries the kind of masculinity that feels almost old-fashioned, yet one not defined by how loud it speaks, but by how deeply it feels. In a world that’s constantly redefining what strength and sensuality mean, he has his own take on both. “I think strength is the courage to go through the problems of your life. With the knowledge that you have to be calm, you’re strong,” he says. A global sex symbol, the real allure for him isn’t in the obvious. “Sensuality for me is something more in you, something that you don't see, but you feel.”

With a life in constant motion, Morrone approaches each experience on his own terms. In September, he made a quick stop in Mumbai for an event with an energy drink brand he collaborates with. On his first visit to India, he says, “Unfortunately, I had only 24 hours, so I didn’t have the time to explore India and Mumbai the way I wanted, but I’m sure I’m going to come back soon to do that.”

Would we ever see Morrone in a full-blown Bollywood film? Never say never. “I have always enjoyed watching films from India and it’s always all about the script and director for me,” says the actor, a hint of intrigue in his voice.

And if that day comes, one thing’s for certain—it won't just mark his Bollywood debut, it will leave his initials on its marquee... Without question.

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Chairperson: Avarna Jain

COO: Jamal Shaikh

Editor: Rahul Gangwani

Fashion Director: Vijendra Bhardwaj

Managing Editor: Sonal Nerurkar

Deputy Editor: Mayukh Majumdar

Photographer: George Livieratos

Art Director: Elena Borovitska

Talent: Michele Morrone

Stylist: Simone Folli

Fashion Assistants: Nadia Mistri

Michele Tartarini

José Banegas

Shooting manager: Vittorio Vanzulli

Make-up Artist: Andreea Natalia Bucur

Hair Stylist: Alessia Damiata

Video: Irene Cacciarini

Production: Plusdesign.org;

Location Courtesy: Radisson Collection Palazzo Touring Club, Milan

Bookings Editor: Varun Shah

Esquire India Editorial: Saurav Bhanot, Nitin Sreedhar, Abhya Adlakha, Rudra Mulmule, Komal Shetty, Riti Ghai, Kashish Mishra

To read more stories from Esquire India's November 2025 issue, pick up a copy of the magazine from your nearest newspaper stand or bookstore. Or click here to subscribe to the magazine.