Armenian-American actor Karren Karagulian, best known for his role as Toros in “Anora,” the 2025 Academy Award winner for Best Picture, has joined the cast of Netflix’s Italian-set romantic caper “Positano,” alongside Academy Award winners Matthew McConaughey and Zoe Saldaña, reports Armenian Film Society.
Karagulian is among five actors newly added to the ensemble, joining Toni Collette, Salvatore Esposito, Michele Savoia, and Lorenzo de Moor. The film is directed by Daniel Roher, the Canadian filmmaker whose 2022 documentary “Navalny” won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and whose recent credits include “Tuner” and “The AI Doc.”
“Positano” follows a charming jewel thief who gives up the good life to help a mysterious woman as the two plot a high-stakes score worth far more than money. Set in the picturesque Amalfi Coast town that gives the film its name, the project reunites Saldaña with Netflix following her Oscar-winning turn in “Emilia Pérez.” Character details for the newly added cast members have not yet been revealed.
Karagulian is best known for his longstanding collaboration with filmmaker Sean Baker, appearing in “Tangerine,” “The Florida Project,” “Starlet,” “Prince of Broadway,” and most recently “Anora,” which won Best Picture at both Cannes and the Oscars, a milestone for Armenian-language cinema. For his performance in “Anora,” he received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Performance.
The role marks the latest in a series of high-profile projects for the actor, whose growing presence in international cinema has positioned him as one of the most visible Armenian actors working today. He will next be seen in David Fincher’s “The Adventures of Cliff Booth,” the sequel to “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” written by Quentin Tarantino, as well as Amazon MGM’s holiday action comedy “The Man With the Bag.”
A release date for “Positano” has not yet been announced.
