Money Heist: 5 exciting behind-the-scenes secrets about Netflix's breakthrough series you might not know

Netflix's 2017 Spanish-language crime drama series Money Heist became the breakthrough show for the platform, achieving Global recognition and fame.

The show is now considered one of the best series and also inspired a Korean remake, Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area, and a spin-off series titled Berlin, based on actor Pedro Alonso's character in the show.

Starring Úrsula Corberó, Álvaro Morte, Alonso, Itziar Ituño, Alba Flores, Miguel Herrán, and Jaime Lorente in the main roles, Money Heist follows a mysterious man (called the Professor), who hires a group of criminals to rob the Royal Mint of Spain.

With a show like Money Heist, there are bound to be many behind-the-scenes secrets that eventually paved the way to its global success.

Here are 5 such facts about the show you might not know.

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Money Heist: 5 behind-the-scenes secrets every fan should know

1) The episodes were not written in advance

While most of the shows are written in advance, Money Heist was not one of them. It is exciting (and shocking) to learn that the show's writers did not plan or write the story in advance, which is why the actors were unaware of what was coming next for their characters.

In many interviews, it was revealed that the writers wanted to test audiences' reaction to certain elements of the story, which is why it was not written in advance. While this was surely a risky move, it made the creation and acting process even more thrilling. It was also reported that actress Alba Flores had no prior knowledge of her character Nairobi's death until the last minute.

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2) The idea of city names was inspired by a shirt

One of the many unique charms of Money Heist is its characters' names, which are based on cities. Tokyo is the very first character we meet, and it is only well into the show that the characters learn each other's actual names.

While this brilliant strategy was devised by the Professor to maintain his group's anonymity, the idea of city names was inspired by creator Álex Pina's shirt in reality. In the documentary Money Heist: The Phenomenon, executive producer Jesús Colmenar revealed how Pina was wearing a shirt with the word TOKYO, which inspired the characters' names:

“[Looking at the shirt, Colmenar thought] That would be the perfect name for the main character. Within 15 minutes, I said, 'Berlin, Moscow, Denver.' It was really quick.''

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3) Denver's laugh was specifically written for the character

While every Money Heist character brought their unique charm to the show, Denver was often the comedic relief. Hot-headed but brilliant in his skill, Denver is surely a memorable character, and no fan can forget his signature laugh.

While many people think that actor Jaime Lorente brought that 'Denver laugh' quirk to the character, it was the other way around. Creators had already envisioned a hysterical laugh that would be a signature to the character, and every actor who auditioned for the role was asked to perform that laugh.

Lorente's laugh was the best out of the lot, and he successfully landed the role of Denver.

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4) The crew was not allowed to shoot in the actual Royal Mint

Since the Professor's group stole from the Royal Mint of Spain, fans were curious to know whether the crew shot in the location. While the team wanted to shoot an important sequence in the real location, they were not granted permission.

Since the Royal Mint of Spain is a working facility managed by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Business and holds confidential information, the crew was not permitted to shoot inside the building, despite various efforts.

Thankfully, the Spanish National Research Council in Madrid did the job, and they shot the important sequence there. However, the team was allowed to take a couple of shots outside the Royal Mint.

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5) The show was originally called The Outcasts

While the Spanish title La Casa de Papel became immensely popular, the show originally had a different title. Pina had originally decided on another title (Los Desahuciados), which literally translates to The Outcasts in English.

However, since the opening credits of the show feature a paper model of the Royal Mint, the title was changed to La Casa de Papel, meaning The House of Paper. The Spanish title was not translated for the English-speaking audience, but since the group pulls off a heist for money, the title Money Heist was born.

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