Finally! “Money Heist” returned with the fourth season. 167 million viewers in more
than 190 countries were waiting for the show to continue. Impressive, huh? However, the
series hasn’t always been that successful.
How has the project on the verge of cancellation turned into the most popular foreign-language
show on Netflix? Which world-famous personality became obsessed with the show? Is it true
that the script was written by the actors? Which character was created by a complete
coincidence, and which one was inspired by a film icon? Why did one of the cast members
post a video of him crying? What is the meaning behind the characters' outfits?
Stay with us to discover all the unknown facts about the show making process and its cast.
But be aware of spoilers! And don’t forget to subscribe to Rumour Juice YouTube channel
for other exciting showbiz stories.
THE SHOW WAS INITIALLY A FLOP You are probably aware of the series original
Spanish title – “La Casa de Papel”, which means “Paper House”. However, it
wasn’t the creator’s first choice. At the very beginning the series was titled with
a Spanish term that means “hopeless” or “irredeemable”. The idea was to emphasize
that the crew consisted of social rejects. But eventually the creator gave it up.
“La Casa de Papel” was launched in 2017 on a free Spanish TV channel. The show had
4.5 million viewers at the time – not great, not terrible... However, this number was only
decreasing. Both the creators and the actors had already accepted it was a flop, but then,
all of a sudden, the show was licensed, renamed to “Money Heist” and re-cut from 15 to
22 episodes by Netflix. And guess what? The number of viewers increased drastically, so
did the number of people who followed the cast members on social media. The actors didn’t
know what had caused such a change but they presumed something was happening. Indeed,
something WAS happening. A blast, to be precise.
In April 2020 “Money Heist” became the most in-demand series in the world, beating
even “Game Of Thrones”.
UNEXPECTED OBSESSION As of today, “Money Heist” is the most
viewed non-English show on Netflix. People are obsessed with the series and perceive
it as a page-turner in the world of cinematic arts. It’s interesting that the show is
addictive even to the ones who create real page-turners. The biggest name among those
obsessed with “Money Heist” is probably American author Stephen King. Here’s what
he tweeted in August 2019:
“Okay, Netflix, you left me hanging. When does MONEY HEIST come back? Because, dig it,
I'm not getting any younger here.”
He also shared a photo of himself wearing a mask similar to the one all the gang members
wear. By the way, after the show release red jumpsuits and Salvador Dali masks became the
symbol of resistance in the real world as well. People wore them during protests in
Lebanon, Iraq, France, Chile and Puerto Rico. But why exactly red jumpsuits and Salvador
Dali masks? Wait for the answer to this question at the end of the video.
Now, let’s focus on another thing popularized by the series. The “Bella Ciao” song had
served as a hymn of protest long before “Money Heist” – for example, during World War
II. And it’s just one of many cultural and historical references hidden in the show.
It might seem that the creators thought of everything – even the smallest details.
Well, they didn’t!
THEY DON’T HAVE SCRIPTS… SOMETIMES It’s probably the most shocking fact about
“Money Heist”, but scripts for the series were not written in advance – they’re
being created alongside filming. Not always though.
There were at least 50 different scenarios of the show’s pilot episode until the creators
agreed on the one they all found perfect. Eventually they decided to have more space
for improvisation. Well, A LOT of space for improvisation.
According to the writers, their main goal now is to understand what a script calls for.
In other words, if an actor or the director captures something truly remarkable, the show
can change on a dime. Itziar Ituño, who played Lisbon, explains it as follows:
“They were writing the chapters as we went along. We didn’t know how it was going to
end, and we kept wondering until almost the very end!”
For example, season 3 features a flashback where The Professor teaches his students to
perform surgery in case of an emergency. Once he brings out a dead pig to practice on, fearless
hitman Marseille immediately refuses to follow his instructions. You wonder why? It turns
out that Luka Peroš, who plays Marseille, is an animal rights activist. The actor couldn’t
get over his principles for the role. As the season progressed, the creators benefited
a lot from this unexpected character development. Marseille’s bond with animals became his
humanizing element. Also, it allowed him to build an emotional connection with the grieving
Professor.
THE PROFESSOR YOU DIDN’T KNOW Initially, the Professor was supposed to be
absolutely different. The show’s creator once explained that he saw this character
as a loser and an old bumbling academic. However, the Professor ended up being a mysterious
criminal genius and a charismatic Robin Hood-style anti-hero.
Arguably, the Professor, played by Álvaro Morte, is one of the reasons people are addicted
to the series. The actor transferred some of his personal qualities to his on-screen
character. Still, they don’t have much in common. Morte prefers a quiet and peaceful
life to ventures of any kind. He has been happily married for years and shares two twin
children with his beautiful wife.
Morte told “Metro Journal” that he feels grateful for being on “Money Heist” but
he doesn’t want the success to have a bad impact on his life. The show star is getting
a lot of acting proposals now, but he is very picky. During a promotional panel for “The
Pier” series, where he had a lead role, Alvaro said he had hard times stepping into
his character’s shoes.
“I was afraid of playing such a polyamorous character! He was a man who’s cheating on
his wife. I thought he should go to hell! But that’s part of the challenge.”
Well, it looks like he nailed all the challenges associated with this role, and kept doing
his best as the "Money Heist"’s Professor. In the meantime, other actors can only dream
of landing such a gig. And we are not exaggerating!
For instance, one Bollywood star recently shared a video on Instagram, in which he plays
the “Bella Ciao” song on a piano. Here’s how he captioned the video:
“I want to be the Professor. That’s why I’m wearing similar glasses and playing
Bella Ciao. I want to put this out in the universe. Hello reverent filmmakers, are you
listening? Please! I’m dying to do something like this.”
We can only wish him good luck! Now, let’s focus on another example of a lucky coincidence.
HOW NAIROBI WAS BORN Alba Flores, the actress who portrayed Nairobi,
revealed how the showrunner created her character. While writing the script, he realized there
was just one female character, Tokyo. He sent the script of the first episode to Alba Flores
and asked whether she liked it. She actually did like it, so the creator decided to come
up with another role – specifically for her. That’s how Nairobi was born.
Flores' character was probably the heart of the squad, and the only cool-headed person
of the group. No wonder Nairobi ended up having so many fans!
"I was recently in the street and a teenage girl came to me and said, 'Please take a picture
with me… I'm so excited that I’m going to get your face tattooed on my arm.”
Apparently, somewhere in the world there is a girl with Nairobi's face on her arm. That's
what we call a cult! By the way, some characters of the show root back to other cult movies.
YOU'VE SEEN TOKYO BEFORE You’ve already guessed, right? Tokyo was
inspired by Mathilda from the 1994 film “Léon: The Professional”. Played by Natalie Portman,
Mathilda became a legend, and for Ursula Corberó in particular. She took a vast amount of inspiration
from the iconic character. It explains why some of Tokyo’s outfits were finished off
with a choker, and why she has a short bob cut with bangs.
Whether you love or hate Tokyo, it’s Úrsula Corberó who brings this character to life.
In the real world, Ursula is a fashion icon. If you follow the actress on Instagram, you’re
probably fascinated by her brilliant outfits – and you are not the only one! And what
about other actors’ Instagrams?
CREEPY INSTAGRAM VIDEO In 2019 the followers of Miguel Herran, who
plays Rio, came across one concerning video. He shed tears in front of the camera without
saying a word. Basically, the 23-year-old just sobbed in silence. Here’s how he captioned
the clip:
“I'm not going to go into the details of what is happening to me, because I don't even
know it myself.”
What would that mean? This face distorted by sadness is the exact opposite of the smiling
photos that the young man usually shares with his followers. He deleted the video almost
instantly, but vigilant fans kept wondering about all the difficulties he was possibly
going through. Many were concerned that Miguel was clinically depressed and needed help.
However, it turned out that this video was not more than the actor’s protest against
lies.
“I could post a thousand of great photos to feed this lying machine called Instagram.
I could inflate my ego and fill my void with likes. But not today. I decided to give you
an honest part of myself. That's just how I feel right now. No filters, no sweetener,
no lies.”
Now it makes sense. Apparently, Herran decided to share his bad days along with the good
ones. That’s brave, what can we say.
HYPNOTISING PAINTINGS Pedro Alonso, who plays Berlin, doesn’t
post such candid videos, but his Instagram is notable for something else. It seems like
painting is a fundamental part of the actor’s life. Besides, he is also a writer and has
been planning to publish a book about a Roman spy. And it’s not even the first book he
wrote! But apparently it will be the first one to be published. Another interesting fact
is that Pedro wants to illustrate the book together with his girlfriend. Pedro is in
a relationship with Tixie Jambass, who is a hypnotherapist… And also an artist, apparently.
Does it mean that the couple will soon hypnotise us with their art? We hope so.
HIDDEN MEANING BEHIND THE OUTFITS Last but not least. We’ve already figured
out that the gang members' outfits became iconic, but what do they actually mean?
According to one of the interviews with Álvaro Morte, the group wasn't targeting the Royal
Mint in the first season to obtain money. It was most likely an act of resistance against
the system. Apparently, jumpsuits in “Money Heist” support the show's core theme of
revolution, for red is a bold color, often associated with resistance. What about the
masks then? Their meaning is kind of the same. Spanish surrealist Salvador Dalí became the
symbol of revolution and rebellion in art, so his image is used for a reason. Everything
comes together now, right?
Oh well... It seems that real-life stories around “Money Heist” are as intense as
the show itself! Thankfully, “intense” doesn’t always mean “criminal”, “dirty”
and “dangerous”.