Jesse Williams

FOR HOTEL COSTIERA, JESSE WILLIAMS WAS DRAWN TO MAKING “SOME- thing that’s global.” The new Prime Video series stars Williams as Daniel De Luca, a former Marine who returns home to Italy to work at a hotel, only to find himself tasked with finding the missing daughter of the hotel’s owner. While he has “no complaints” filming in Positano paradise, “I tried to stay rela- tively disciplined, but I ate a lot of pasta and bread.” Of the character, he related to his duality. “I don’t really say I’m half anything,” he notes. “That has to have found itself stewing in something Daniel De Luca is dealing with.” The series represents a new phase for Williams, taking creative control as a producer. “It certainly feels good...to bet on you in the same way you're trying to bet on your- self.” After leaving his role on Grey’s Anatomy, his first move was a deliberate challenge, Broadway, and now this, raising the stakes by creating an original show. “Like, it’s really trying to forge something new in a space.” But ultimately, it’s all about the process. “I love the collaboration that exists in our business.”

- —H. Alan Scott

What excited you about the role of Daniel De Luca?