Jesse Williams Reveals Why It Was 'Torture' to Train for "Hotel Costiera" in Italy: 'I'm Not in My Twenties Anymore' (Exclusive) Stephanie WengerSeptember 24, 2025 at 10:00 PM 0 Virginia Bettoja/Prime Jesse Williams in 'Hotel Costiera' Jesse Williams tells PEOPLE that it was "quite a torture" having...
- - Jesse Williams Reveals Why It Was 'Torture' to Train for "Hotel Costiera" in Italy: 'I'm Not in My Twenties Anymore' (Exclusive)
Stephanie WengerSeptember 24, 2025 at 10:00 PM
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Virginia Bettoja/Prime
Jesse Williams in 'Hotel Costiera' -
Jesse Williams tells PEOPLE that it was "quite a torture" having to train for his grueling role in Hotel Costiera while filming in Italy, but he would "sign up" for it "any day"
The actor admits it was challenging to come to "the land of pasta and bread to try to be lean and effective"
Hotel Costiera premieres Wednesday, Sept. 24 on Prime Video
Jesse Williams has nothing but love for filming his show Hotel Costiera in Italy — except for when it came to training for the role of former U.S. Marine Daniel De Luca.
During a conversation with PEOPLE, the 44-year-old actor admits it was challenging to come to "the land of pasta and bread to try to be lean and effective."
On the show, Daniel "returns to Italy, the land of his childhood, as a fixer in one of the world's most luxurious hotels, located on the spectacular coastline of Positano," according to an official synopsis.
He sets out in search of Alice, "one of the owner's daughters who disappeared a month earlier" and "must do everything he can to bring her home, but facing those who kidnapped the girl will be more challenging than any problem Daniel has ever faced. "
"It was quite a torture that I would sign up for any day," Williams says of preparing for the grueling role. "I trained, I did a lot of fight training and stunt coordination. I'm not in my twenties anymore, things creek and hurt and sprain and tear, so I had to be careful of that."
Virginia Bettoja/Prime
Jesse Williams in 'Hotel Costiera'
Beyond the physical challenges, the Grey's Anatomy star was "working all day and night every day" as both the star and executive producer of the Prime Video series.
"Not only acting, but producing every night and looking at dailies and giving notes and all these things," he explains. "I say that because sleep is most important and I did not get a lot of it."
"[I was] waking up at 3 a.m. to call the kids because I'm nine hours ahead of them, so sleep was really tough," he adds, referring to his children — daughter Sadie, 11, and son Maceo, 10 — whom he shares with ex-wife Aryn Drake-Lee.
Virginia Bettoja/Prime
Jesse Williams in 'Hotel Costiera'
For Williams, he says he focused on "diet, exercise and choreography so that you're efficient in your movement and not wasting movements and not injuring yourself or others" while filming in Italy.
"Doing a fight scene on a motorcycle is not something I have ever done before," he adds. "So you have to respect the art and the craft of stunt coordination and trust the professionals and make it real, it was a dream."
Williams also found joy in working alongside his costars including Maria Chiara Giannetta, Sam Haygarth, Jordan Alexandra, Antonio Gerardi, Tommaso Ragno, Amanda Campana, Pierpaolo Spollon, Alejandra Onieva and Jean-Hugues Anglade.
The Only Murders in the Building alum says the bonding process between the costars came "really easily."
"I was involved in the casting process, I think for all of them," he says. "So I got to know them and their work before meeting them, and we were able to put together this really cool eclectic mix of characters that are complimentary and share a fun-loving but potentially dangerous side."
Luca Dammicco
The cast of 'Hotel Costiera'
"Everybody was awesome," he adds. "Very different kind of rule books and origin stories and ways that they approach their craft and style and comedic timing. But we have a really fun and funny group that is most importantly kind of curious about their work and others."
"So we really got lucky. It's great when you can put together a real team that jumps off the screen together," he concludes.
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Hotel Costiera premieres Wednesday, Sept. 24 on Prime Video.
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