The socialist deputy who dared to expose fascist violence in parliament. Anzaldo plays Matteotti not as a martyr-saint, but as a weary, courageous man who knows he is walking to his death. His kidnapping and murder in 1924 is the series’ moral pivot—the moment Italy’s soul was auctioned.
In lesser hands, Mussolini becomes a caricature—the comic-opera buffoon hanging upside down in Piazzale Loreto. But Marinelli and this extraordinary ensemble force us to confront the seductive horror of his rise. They show how a failed revolutionary, a provincial bully, and a master of media could ride fear, humiliation, and hope into absolute power. cast of mussolini: son of the century
From the brutalist energy of the squadristi (portrayed by a rotating group of young, unknown Italian actors) to the cynical king, (played with cowardly perfection by Paolo Pierobon), every face in Mussolini: Son of the Century reminds us: fascism wasn’t imposed by aliens. It was built by ambitious, ordinary, and deeply flawed human beings. Why This Cast Matters The socialist deputy who dared to expose fascist
The young, dandyish son-in-law who would eventually betray the Duce. Zurzolo (known for Baby ) plays Ciano as a gold-trimmed viper—vain, ambitious, and increasingly horrified by the Nazi alliance he helped engineer. From the brutalist energy of the squadristi (portrayed
The true fanatic. Where Mussolini was a pragmatist, Farinacci was a true believer in violence for its own sake. Franzoni’s performance is a coiled spring of rage, representing the dark soul of fascism that even the Duce sometimes feared. The Opposition: Voices of Reason No portrait of tyranny works without those who stood against it.