 "Arabian Nights" appeared in 1974 and was an international success; Merli got a taste for the film business.Following his debut he appeared with his hair dyed blond in Gianni Martucci's 1975 comedy "La collegiale".In 1975 Pasolini hired him once again, for the role of one of the male victims in his infamous "Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom".