Money Heist

Money Heist (Spanish: La casa de papel) is an exhilarating Spanish heist crime drama television series created by Álex Pina. Tracing two elaborately planned heists led by the brilliant Professor (Álvaro Morte), the series hooks viewers with its unique nonlinear storytelling, unreliable narrator, complex characters, and countless plot twists and surprises.

Cast of Money Heist

The Spanish show has a well-chosen cast and crew, making it a popular show on Netflix. The lead cast and support actors in the series are as follows:

Lead Roles

At the core of Money Heist is a mysterious mastermind named The Professor, played brilliantly by Álvaro Morte. He assembles a group of robbers, including Tokyo (Úrsula Corberó), the film’s narrator and a daring escaped criminal. Tokyo has an on-again, off-again romance with mobster Rio (Miguel Herrán), a young hacker.

Pedro Alonso is a standout as the terminally ill but astute Berlin, whose developing relationship with the Professor is an intriguing highlight. Berlin’s fifth and final romantic relationship with the equally cunning Tatiana (Diana Gómez) is also full of intrigue. Just like the story in Hypnotic mentioned, this movie deserves to receive a rain of praise from the audience

Alba Flores portrays the fiery Nairobi in charge of printing money, while Darko Perić plays the loyal soldier Helsinki. Jaime Lorente stars as Denver, Moscow’s (Paco Tous) son, who joins his father in the initial heist. Meanwhile, Itziar Ituño plays Raquel Murillo, the investigator hunting the skilled criminals she secretly admires, especially the Professor with whom she eventually falls in love.

Supporting Cast

The supporting ensemble includes Esther Acebo as Monica/Stockholm, initially a hostage who has an affair with Denver. Enrique Arce’s portrayal of pompous Mint Director Arturo Roman adds edge. Hovik Keuchkerian joins in Season 3 as expert metallurgist Bogota, while Belén Cuesta plays Manila, Moscow’s godchild and Denver’s childhood friend. Najwa Nimri also shines as Sierra, the fierce pregnant police inspector.

Fernando Cayo enters as Colonel Luis Tamayo, overseeing matters for Spanish Intelligence, aided by his assistant Benito. Luka Peros plays Marseille, the gang’s liaison during the final heists. Among the hostages are Pep Munné, the bank governor; Olalla Hernández, his secretary Amanda; and other excellent actors playing pivotal roles.

The final season features Berlin’s son Rafael, played by Patrick Criado, and Miguel Ángel Silvestre as Tokyo’s former love interest. The addition of José Manuel Seda as ruthless army leader Sagasta in the climax also ramps the tension. The supporting cast is as riveting as the leads.

Money Heist awards and accolade

Money Heist became among the most popular shows globally, collecting audiences, money, and awards. It has been nominated for and won many awards. Some of the prizes it is set for and has won are as follows:

Nominated For

The runaway global success of Money Heist is evident from the numerous prestigious awards and nominations it has garnered since 2017. These include:

• International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series
• Feroz Awards for Best Drama Series – 6 nominations
• Iris Awards – 14 nominations for Best Series, Director, Actor, Actress etc.
• Fotogramas de Plata – 7 nominations for Audience Choice Award, Best Actor, etc.
• Platino Awards – Multiple nominations for Best Series, Actor, Actress
• Critics Choice TV Awards for Best Foreign Language Series

The show has also received nominations across major European TV awards like the Golden Nymph Awards and Festival de Luchon TV Awards.

The main cast, including Úrsula Corberó, Álvaro Morte, Pedro Alonso and Alba Flores, have been nominated multiple times for their outstanding performances at various awards events over the years. The film’s excellent direction, script, cinematography, production design, editing and music scoring were also recognized for creating a compelling action movies hollywood

Awards Won

While Money Heist has swept many Audience Choice awards reflecting its mainstream popularity, it has impressed critics and industry insiders by winning accolades like:

• International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series (2018)
• MiM Series Award for Best Direction
• Golden Nymph Award for Best Drama TV Series
• Iris Awards for Best Series, Actor, Actress and more
• Actors Union of Spain Best Actor Award for Fernando Cayo
• Platino Award for Best Miniseries or TV Series

Other vital wins include the Iris Award for Best Actress (Úrsula Corberó), the Festival de Luchon’s Jury Award for Best Spanish Series, the Camera de Oro Award at the Canneseries TV festival, and many more over its five celebrated seasons.

The success story continues in 2022, with Fernando Cayo bagging the Best TV Actor in a Secondary Role award at Spain’s 30th Actors and Actresses Union Awards.

Spin-offs inspired by Money Heist

Following the massive success of the series, several spin-offs have popped all over which draws heavy reliance from the primary plot of Money Heist. Some of the more popular ones include:

South Korean Adaptation

The popularity of Money Heist sparked an official South Korean adaptation titled Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area in 2022. This 12-part remake is a collaboration between BH Entertainment and Contents Zium, with acclaimed director Kim Hong-sun helming the project. It features some of South Korea’s biggest stars in crucial roles.

The Korean version has several changes, including a new backstory for the Professor, shifting the heist target from the royal mint and bank to a newly minted single currency in a fictional united Korea, and creative twists to characters. But it retains the essence of the original with genius strategizing, gripping hostage scenarios, interpersonal drama, and even romance between the cops and robbers amidst the ever-heightening tensions.

Spin-off Series

Netflix also announced a spin-off series focused on the popular character Berlin in 2021. Titled simply Berlin, this series features Pedro Alonso reprising his role as the brilliant yet unpredictable criminal mastermind. Set before the events of Money Heist, Berlin shows the formation of Berlin’s new gang as they prepare for a major heist in Paris.

With Álex Pina as showrunner alongside long-time creative partner Esther Martínez Lobato, Berlin generated anticipation among loyal Money Heist fans globally. The first season of 8 episodes was released in late 2023 to critical acclaim, expanding the saga’s timeline and Berlin and Tatiana’s intriguing backstory of their brotherhood in crime.

Along with the Korean remake, Berlin has successfully expanded Money Heist into a franchise for Netflix, opening doors for potential future spin-offs centered on other charismatic characters.

With its electric pace, multi-dimensional characters, countless edge-of-your-seat moments, and visual innovation, Money Heist has set a new bar for non-English television series. Though its passionate fanbase was disappointed to bid farewell after five thrilling seasons, the show’s cultural impact perseveres through spin-offs and remakes set within the enthralling Money Heist universe. This Spanish blockbuster has earned global icon status as one of Netflix’s biggest hits ever.