Margherita Mazzucco

Margherita Mazzucco is an Italian actress. She is best known for her starring role as Elena "Lenù" Greco in the HBO coming-of-age television series My Brilliant Friend.

Mazzucco grew up in Naples alongside three sisters, making her the third of four daughters in her family. Her father works as a lawyer. For her education, she graduated from a liceo classico before pursuing higher studies in modern literature at the University of Naples Federico II.

Her entry into the acting profession occurred by accident. Auditions for the television adaptation of My Brilliant Friend were held directly at her school, and she decided to participate out of curiosity. Although she initially wanted to portray the character of Lila, director Saverio Costanzo eventually convinced her to take on the role of Lenù. Mazzucco had no prior acting experience before accepting the part.

Following her debut, she gained widespread international visibility for her performance across multiple seasons of the HBO drama series.