Series on bankruptcy

This man is to play René Benko on Netflix

Actor Francesco Cirolini as former tycoon René Benko.(Bild: Hubert Berger)

The life of René Benko will soon be coming to the screens as a Netflix series. Tyrolean Francesco Cirolini will, as it currently stands, play the role of the billionaire bankrupt. The "Krone" spoke to the actor, who also knows Benko privately and is good at recreating his tics and tricks.

A few passers-by were standing in front of the municipal office in Kematen near Innsbruck on a gloomy summer's day this year and were astonished when its doors opened and a man in a smart slim-fit suit, three-day beard, wearing sunglasses and a smartphone to his ear left the office accompanied by a bodyguard. "That's Benko, what's he doing here?" An elderly lady asked. "No, that's not him," replied a young man and continued: "That's an actor who looks amazingly like him."

Tyrolean actor Francesco Cirolini in conversation with the "Krone". Will he play Benko in the new Netflix series?(Bild: © Hubert Berger)

The young Tyrolean was right, because the man cast here for the role of one of the most hated men in Europe at the moment is Kitzbühel-based actor Francesco Cirolini, who not only looks amazingly similar to former real estate tycoon René Benko in his make-up and facial expressions and gestures, but also got to know the billionaire bankrupt in the early 2000s in a trendy Innsbruck bar at the time and described him in an interview with the "Krone" newspaper as a "rather shy guy" who "tried to cover up this shyness by showing off and lying on the bar counter with the Ferrari key that went with it."

The start of the Benko series has not yet been confirmed 
The casting demo with Cirolini has so far been seen by the staff (casting and production) of MR-Film and Constantin Film, who will turn the "Benko story" into a multi-part series. The broadcast date has not yet been set. What is certain is that Francesco Cirolini's chances for the leading role as René Benko in this series are not bad: As he has known Benko personally since 2001, he also knows his quirks, gestures and tics very well.

He also knows exactly when to communicate in dialect and with whom and how. Cirolini could also contribute the one or other "important" piece of information or story to the script. In addition, the mime also comes from the real estate industry, which is why he knows its machinations well ...