365 Days star Michele Morrone visits Good Morning American to promote upcoming third installment

The Netflix star who sent women across the world wild when he burst onto the scene while appearing in the streaming site’s incredibly raunchy movie 365 Days has laid bare his shock over his stratospheric rise to heartthrob status – revealing he was working as a gardener in Milan when he landed the role that shot him to fame. 

Italian-born actor Michele Morrone, 31, was dubbed the ‘sexiest man ever’ by fawning Netflix viewers when he starred in the controversial movie as a mafia boss who kidnaps a woman he eventually falls in love with and marries. 

While the 2020 Polish movie was panned by critics, given a zero rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and slammed for glorifying violence, Netflix subscribers went wild for it, pushing it to the top ten most-watched movies on the site across the globe. 

Now, Michele has spilled on what fans can expect from the upcoming third instalment of the series during an appearance on Good Morning America, while opening up about how he has coped with his new-found stardom. 

According to the actor, the new movie – which premieres on August 19 – is going to see his character, Don Massimo Torricelli, face some turmoil in his marriage. 

‘Since the beginning, they had this very strong relationship, but in The Next 365 Days… there’s another character trying to build up problems between them,’ he explained. ‘And Massimo isn’t a very nice person when it comes to protecting his wife.’ 

The original movie first premiered in Poland in February 2020 and came to Netflix a few months later – in June 2020. The erotic thriller was directed by Barbara Białowąs and Tomasz Mandes and was based off a novel by Blanka Lipińska.

In the film, a sales director at a luxurious Warsaw hotel named Laura Biel (played by Anna-Maria Sieklucka), took a trip to Sicily with her boyfriend in a last attempt to save their relationship.

But she got kidnapped by Massimo, who has taken over the family business after his mafia boss father’s assassination. Massimo held Laura captive and gave her 365 days to fall in love with him. 

After its release, the movie gained worldwide attention and it divided viewers, with some describing it as the ‘hottest thing ever’ and comparing it to Fifty Shades of Grey – but raunchier. 

At the time, many social media users raved about the R-rated sex scenes and steamy plot – but some critics claimed it glamorized abuse and ‘romanticized a dangerous relationship between a captor and victim.’ 

Despite the backlash, the movie was in the service’s Top 10 watched list in 93 countries around the world for four weeks after its release. 

Forbes described it as ‘the biggest movie to hit the streaming service in 2020,’ with the outlet writing one month after it came out, ‘The numbers show that 365 Days is on pace to rise above all other movies that have streamed on Netflix [this year].’

And according to Michele, he was propelled into the spotlight practically overnight, and now, he can hardly walk down the street without being noticed.

‘I’m OK with it, living with this life. Sometimes it’s a little too much because I need to breathe a little bit but it’s part of the game,’ he said on GMA.

The movie star, who is now also a model, singer, and fashion designer, was working as a gardener in Italy before he got the part.

He recalled receiving a call from the director while he was out in the garden, after the casting team came across a photo of him on his Instagram. He said they wanted him for the role before they met him in person, and that he never even had to go audition.

‘I thought it was a joke,’ he admitted. ‘I didn’t even really have the time to go do the casting because I was busy gardening. 

‘But the director was like, “No, I don’t want to meet you at casting, I want you for the role.” I was like, “Wow that’s cool.” It was such a surprise to me. It was so weird but I was super happy.’

After its release, many people slammed Netflix for adding the movie to its platform, with British singer Duffy even writing an open letter to the streaming site’s CEO, Reed Hastings.

She blasted the network for ‘eroticizing kidnapping and distorting sexual violence and trafficking as a “sexy” movie.’ 

‘It grieves me that Netflix provides a platform for such “cinema,”‘ wrote Duffy, who that same year published her own account of being kidnapped and raped.

‘Tragically, victims of trafficking and kidnapping are unseen, and yet in 365 Days, their suffering is made into a “erotic drama,” as described by Netflix.’

Duffy noted that fans of the movie have recently been seen ‘pleading’ to Michele to kidnap them.

She continued: ‘I encourage the millions who have enjoyed the movie to reflect on the reality of kidnapping and trafficking, of force and sexual exploitation, and of an experience that is the polar opposite of the glossy fantasy depicted.’

The singer urged the CEO to commit the company’s resources to producing content about the global problem of kidnapping and sex trafficking, which the United Nations calls a ‘grave violation of human rights.’

She closed her letter to Reed with the statement, ‘When we know better, let us do better.’

In once scene of the movie, Laura was forced to watch Massimo be pleasured by another woman while she remained chained to a wall, wearing nothing but a dressing gown. 

Another showed the couple engaging in some very-steamy intercourse on the mafia boss’ yacht after Massimo saved Laura’s life. 

Shocked viewers also watched Laura being tied to a chair on a private jet while Massimo teased her, and later, they were seen enjoying a fiery exchange of words while naked with one another in the shower.

A spokesman for Netflix defended the movie at the time, pointing out that it was rated-R and warned viewers about violence, sex, and nudity.

He also stated that this was a Polish film that had been released theatrically in several countries months earlier, and that Netflix had licensed the film and was not involved in the production.

‘We believe strongly in giving our members around the world more choice and control over their Netflix viewing experience,’ the spokesperson said.

‘Members can choose what they do and do not want to watch by setting maturity filters at a profile level and removing specific titles to protect from content they feel is too mature.’ 

The second film in the trilogy was released in April 2022, which saw the couple face complications after one of Massimo’s ex-lovers entered the picture. Many viewers tuned in to watch it, and it gained almost 78 million hours of streaming within its first week.

Twitter seemed divided over the news that a third part one was on the way after the trailer came out earlier this month, with some people quickly sharing their dismay online.

‘The third 365 days movie is coming out on Friday… When will it stop?’ asked one user.

‘Netflix drops ONE season of a show with a solid plot, great characters, and spectacular prospects for future seasons and then … waits 60 years for season two. Meanwhile I hear we getting ANOTHER 365 days movie? Can we please get our priorities straight?’ said someone else.

Another person added: ‘I need to know who keeps green lighting the 365 days movies because they are all TERRIBLE.’

‘Another 365 Days movie is coming out? Are we not tired yet?’ read a fourth tweet.

However, others admitted that they were excited to tune in and see what happens next.

‘Everybody kinda mad but I’m excited for the next 365 Days movie idk,’ one person tweeted.

‘I’m pumped,’ a different user agreed, while someone else wrote, ‘Did I think 365 Days was a very bad movie? Yes. Did I think the second part was even worse? Yes. Am I still gonna watch the third part? Also yes.’

‘Who wants to watch the next 365 Days movie with me and criticize any and every scene we can and call it a date?’ joked another user.