Created by Álex Pina, the Spanish caper series Money Heist has been an international sensation ever since becoming a Netflix original. But after the first four seasons followed a well-trained group of thieves as they committed truly audacious heists with all of Spain watching, the time has come for the story to end in Season 5, which will be released in two parts over the course of Fall 2021.
Part 1 is streaming now, and while of course, we have yet to see the ending, Collider was lucky enough to speak with cast members Úrsula Corberó (who plays Tokyo, the captivating lead whose backstory gets explored in more detail during Season 5) and José Manuel Poga (who plays Gandia, the villainous chief of security who's determined to destroy the team).
In a virtual interview conducted over Zoom, via a translator, Corberó and Poga talked about their reactions to reading the last script, what it was like getting to explore characters' pasts in Season 5, and more. (Spoiler alert: Corberó will not be missing that red jumpsuit.)
Collider: I want to start by asking what was your reaction to reading the last script?
ÚRSULA CORBERÓ: I cried. I'm a big crier. I remember that I sent a picture of me weeping to Álex Pina, and I was not so much crying because it was the last plot, but rather because I knew that that was the last script. I had been melancholic for several days, and I thought to myself that this is it, we are closing this cycle.
JOSÉ MANUEL POGA: In my case, I was excited to see the ending, just like any viewer would have been. If you're a fan of Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad, we feel anxious to see the ending, to see how it unravels.
I remember that when I read the script, I felt nervous, but at the same time, I felt full of trust, because in Money Heist, all the crew is a well-oiled machinery. But even so, you can't stop feeling nervous or wondering, "Will the audience like the ending?" Or will they rather think, "Well, this sucks?" I think that the ending rises to the expectations. But I guess we'll have to wait and see which is your reaction.
José Manuel, this is a very specific question, but from your point of view, why do you think Palermo let Gandia escape in Season 4?
POGA: I believe that he wanted to see chaos and that's what he did. I don't think he thought twice about what it would entail, to release a beast such as Gandia. There is some point in which Palermo regrets his decisions, but childish and arrogant as he is, he sticks to that decision. He wanted to screw up the situation out of spite, and that's what he did.
Ursula, why was it really exciting for you to look back at Tokyo's past in this final season?
CORBERÓ: It was mind-blowing, I must confess. We had even to recover the sets and the costumes from the first day of shooting of Money Heist, as you can imagine. I felt melancholic, and I felt as if I was going back in time, but it was also, at the same time, a pleasant experience. I think it grants the viewer a golden opportunity to seek a way to empathize with the character of Tokyo, to relate to her, and to understand the background, the reasons, and the conditioning of of her past and why she is proud to make the mistakes she makes.
As an actress, personally, it gave me life, because I was given the opportunity to step out of the set, of the bank. To step out of the action field, the bombs, the dirt, the darkness. I was filled with dirt every day, really, and I could step out of that and delve into the purer side of my character, her most luminous side, her most naive side, and I think that it gives a gust of fresh wind into the show, because what happens in the bank is very warlike, very epic, and this is more oneiric poetry.
Lovely. And eventually, you got to say goodbye to the red jumpsuit, I'm sure that was good.
CORBERÓ: You can't imagine. I was fed up with the red jumpsuit. I needed to have a nice outfit.
Money Heist Season 5, Part 1 is streaming now on Netflix.