How much do you know about the exciting Spanish show? Well these facts about Money Heist will shed new light on the popular Netflix series!
The addictive and suspenseful Netflix series Money Heist has taken the world by storm, with exciting set-pieces, memorable characters and the intrigue of international fortune hunting.
Plus it was Netflix’s most-watched international TV series in 2020! But how much do you know about the successful Spanish heist drama?
With these fun facts about Money Heist we’ll dive into the most incredible production facts, the enigmatic stars, the various locations and all the spin-offs that have been born from this juggernaut TV show.
Who’s your favorite character from the show? Is it the narrator Tokyo? The mysterious Professor? The counterfeit expert Nairobi? There are so many great characters to choose from!
And did you know that there are even more Money Heist spin-off series coming? Including a prequel starring the villainous Berlin. The show has literally taken over the world!
We’ll jump into some more interesting Money Heist facts about the red jumpsuits, the exotic filming locations, the iconic masks, and every detail you need to know to become a real Money Heist expert.
Let’s get cracking and learn more about this ultimate gang of grifters and find out why Money Heist is one of our all-time favorite shows!
Contents:
21 Fun Facts About Money Heist
1. Who created Money Heist?
Alex Pina is a Spanish television producer and the creator of the Money Heist franchise. He is one of the top European television producers and has written 33 episodes of the series.
However, that’s not all. Pina has created and written numerous wildly successful shows in Spain and is considered one of the top international showrunners.
2. What is Money Heist called in Spain?
Here’s one of the Money Heist facts we didn’t know about – the show isn’t called Money Heist in Spain!
Instead it’s called La Casa de Papel or The House of Paper. We can only guess that the Netflix executives thought the English-speaking audiences needed a simpler name to connect to the show’s concept.
3. The Professor should go unnoticed
Alvaro Morte is the Spanish actor who plays the role of The Professor. Morte has stated that he asked Money Heist’s costume designers to give The Professor a subdued and shy look of someone who would never be noticed.
This is why the character always wears glasses and his clothes are always in grey and brown shades.
4. Nairobi was a last minute addition to the show
We can’t imagine Money Heist without counterfeit expert Nairobi. However, she was written into the show at the last minute because there was only one female character in the main cast.
Nairobi actress Alba Flores worked on another show by Alex Pina called Vis a Vis and jumped at the chance to work on Money Heist.
5. Who is the inspiration behind the Money Heist masks?
The famous mustachioed mask used by the team in Money Heist is inspired by one of the most successful and revered artists of all-time. That would be the Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali!
6. A strange way of writing scripts
Did you know that the scripts for Money Heist are in constant revision and are re-written as the season goes on? This allows the writers to change the script to fit the season as it continues.
Usually a television script is written well before filming ever starts. This is one of the Money Heist facts that we couldn’t believe!
7. How many people watch Money Heist?
At one point, before Squid Game came around, Money Heist was the most watched non-English series on Netflix. Season 3 was viewed by more than 44 million households!
8. Netflix saved the day
Did you know that when Money Heist premiered in Spain it was considered a commercial failure? While it saw huge audiences at the start of its first season, the numbers kept dipping as the season went on.
However, Netflix saw the potential and bought the show for its international catalogue and the series took off in popularity from there!
9. The one where everyone is sick
Fans of the show will know that the character of Berlin is terminally ill. But the original motivation for all the characters to take part in the heist was that they were all dying of illnesses.
We’re glad this was written out of the script, because it makes Berlin’s story all the more captivating.
10. What actress inspired the role of Tokyo?
Natalie Portman’s portrayal of Mathilda in 1994’s Leon: The Professional inspired Tokyo’s short haircut and signature cool-girl style.
The character of Tokyo was actually supposed to be an older woman, but actress Ursula Corbero won the role with her charm and energetic spunk.
11. A few Money Heist facts about those jumpsuits
Ah, the red jumpsuit. This is a staple of each Money Heist season and perhaps even more recognizable than the Salvador Dali mask.
For season 5 alone, the costume designers made over 500 red jumpsuits!
12. The Korean spin-off of Money Heist
Premiering in 2022, the Money Heist spin-off from South Korea called Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area ranked as the most watched Netflix show in 51 countries when it premiered.
Some fans have complained however that the story line was too similar to the original, making it less exciting and ultimately predictable.
13. A cameo by a superstar athlete
Football megastar and Brazil National Football Team member Neymar Jr was such a fan of the show he contacted production to have a cameo role.
Neymar got his wish, as he plays a Brazilian monk named Joao in Money Heist season 3.
14. What’s up with all the city names?
Tokyo, Berlin, Nairobi, Denver, Rio, Moscow, Palermo, Helsinki, the nicknames of the Money Heist characters is like a trip around the world.
But did you know that The Professor also has an unofficial city name too? It’s Vatican City.
15. What’s the name of the song they sing in Money Heist?
The song most associated with Money Heist is the Italian folk song Bella Ciao. It was originally an anthem against fascism in World War II.
A Money Heist writer chose to include the song in the script when he was inspired by the song’s tempo and lyrics and how well it represented the gang and their conquest.
16. Money Heist filming locations
Seasons 1 and 2 of Money Heist were filmed entirely in Madrid, Spain. By the 3rd season the budget of the show had increased exponentially and filming locations were added including Panama, Thailand and Italy. They even filmed a bunch of scenes on a private island!
17. Money Heist never filmed in the Royal Mint
Famously, the Royal Mint of Spain is the target for seasons 1 and 2 of Money Heist. However, the team couldn’t get permission to film there.
All the scenes in the mint are either filmed at the Spanish National Research Council or in the production studio in Madrid.
18. The scene that turned dangerous in real life
The scene where the gang flees from the Royal Mint of Spain into international waters was one of the hardest to film.
While the scene appears to occur in cold weather, in actuality, the scene was filmed in 40°C (104°F) heat in Thailand. Some of the cast almost passed out from the humid conditions!
19. Has Money Heist won any awards?
Money Heist has been the recipient of many prestigious awards over the years, especially in Spain.
The biggest accolade Money Heist received was at the 46th International Emmy Awards where the show won the award for best drama series.
20. The original narrator of Money Heist
One of the fun facts about Money Heist that surprised us was that Tokyo wasn’t supposed to be the original narrator for the show.
In fact, the initial script had The Professor narrating his own master plan. It was eventually decided that this would be a little too narcissistic!
21. What’s next for the Money Heist franchise?
Next up for the Money Heist franchise is a prequel series starring Pedro Alonso as Berlin. The series will follow Berlin through his earlier life before the events of the original Money Heist series.
The show is set to premiere in 2023. We can’t wait for this one! Will you be watching?
Who wants more fun facts?
If you’re looking for some recommendations, these are a few of our favorite fact books to buy. We use these when planning fun trivia nights with family and friends!
We really hope you enjoyed all our fun facts about Money Heist! Did you learn something new?
If there’s any Money Heist facts we missed, you can let us know in the comments below and we’ll add them to this article!
