When you hear the name Claudio Zanelli, images of sunflower-kissed valleys, women splashing in fountains, and ancient architecture fill your mind, while the scent of marinara and red wine tangle with your nose. Ah, Italy. But put a pin in all that, because Mr. Zanelli’s actual acting work in film conjures none of those, given that he seems to work a whole lot on the most extreme movie projects he can find, mostly in incredibly shocking and extremely graphic horror films with strong...
When you hear the name Claudio Zanelli, images of sunflower-kissed valleys, women splashing in fountains, and ancient architecture fill your mind, while the scent of marinara and red wine tangle with your nose. Ah, Italy. But put a pin in all that, because Mr. Zanelli’s actual acting work in film conjures none of those, given that he seems to work a whole lot on the most extreme movie projects he can find, mostly in incredibly shocking and extremely graphic horror films with strong sexual content. In fact, you may have noticed that Mr. Man has declared this hot Italian guy a member of the Hall of Fame Nudity! gang. Take, for example, his role as Henry the scientist in the movie Hyde’s Secret Nightmare (2011), where he does experiments on curing impotence. Here’s where Mr. Man feels obliged to offer a word of caution, if you’re even slightly faint of heart. Claudio takes scissors and a needle to his private parts in some scenes, and it’s as wince-worthy as it sounds. However, look past those moments and you can enjoy the dark-haired dish in all his naked glory, sometimes sitting pretty, sometimes stroking pretty. If you enjoy the horror genre, you can also see him as the ghost in Shock: My Abstraction of Death (2013). But if you prefer happy, shiny things, you’ll be relieved to know that when he’s not in front of the camera, Claudio opts for lighter fare in the theatre, having played Harry in Kinky Boots, Nick Massi in Jersey Boys, and Brit in We Will Rock You. Oh, Mr. Man just bets you can rock us, Claudio.