Arena played Marco during 1992. He previously played the bit part of Bob Cooper in the serial, after winning a talent-spotting competition. Arena had to audition in front of a casting director and "Neighbours" cast members. A year later, he was offered the role of Marco. Alex Cramb from "Inside Soap" detailed how as Elspeth Ballantyne had been cast as Cathy Alessi, the head of the show's "hottest new family". She brings her two "hunky" sons Marco and younger brother Rick Alessi (Dan Falzon). Marco was the first member of the new Alessi family to arrive in Ramsay Street. He joined his cousins and already established characters Caroline Alessi (Gillian Blakeney) and Christina Robinson (Gayle Blakeney) on-screen. Rick along with mother and father, Cathy and Benito (George Spartels) soon followed. Born to Italian parents, Arena was delighted to portray a character with a similar background to his own. He stated that "it's a real breakthrough and about time, I'm not your usual Aussie surfer type." He was not nervous about joining the cast. But on his first day of filming he became nervous during scenes in the Coffee Shop. But Marco secures a job as a waiter there and Arena told an "Inside Soap" writer that a majority of his scenes occurred on that particular set.