In the first episode of season 3 of “Lupin”, the character played by Omar Sy finds himself at the top of the Vendôme column. Was the scene really filmed at the top of the monument?
Warning, the following article contains spoilers for the first episode of season 3 of Lupine. If you don’t want to know anything, move on!
In the first episode of part 3 of Lupine, which was put online this Thursday, October 5 on Netflix, Assane (Omar Sy) announces to Benjamin (Antoine Gouy) his intention to steal the Black Pearl in order to use the money to leave France safely with his family. In typical Lupine style, he decides to announce his next heist in order to use the diversion created to his advantage.
It is in a prestigious jewelry store on Place Vendôme that Assane Diop intends to attack, with the help of Benjamin and Bruno (Pierre Lottin), a young man with whom he grew up.
He also asks the latter to pretend to be a BRI commander in order to be able to gather as much information as possible and, above all, to be as close as possible to the heist. And it is from the top of the Vendôme column, an emblematic monument of Paris, that Assane pilots part of the operations.
Was the scene actually filmed in the tower?
Yes and no. In a video revealed by Netflixwe can see Omar Sy (who underwent an impressive transformation in season 3) climbing the narrow staircase of the Vendôme column to get to the top of the tower to take shots used in the first episode.
The space being so cramped, it was necessary to place a team on a basket to be able to film the actor. If the scenes at the top of the Column were indeed filmed on location, the scenes taking place inside had to be filmed in a set.
It was in fact necessary to create space to install the technical teams and cameras, as explained by Françoise Dupertuis, Lupine’s production designer, in the press kit.
“Inside the real Vendôme column, there is a staircase that provides access to the balcony at the top. Of course, we did not film inside the column: we designed a larger set which included a space for stewardship. It is therefore a narrative view, different from the real place.”
How was the filming in the jewelry store?
The first episode is also marked by the impressive and ingenious heist of our modern-day Lupine. Although the production would have loved to be able to film in a real jewelry store on Place Vendôme, it did not have the authorizations and had to use stratagems.
“Given the subject of the series, it was obviously impossible to be welcomed into a real jewelry store”, confided Françoise Dupertuis. “Place Vendôme quickly established itself as a setting, especially since we had not yet used it. The location also allowed us to have extraordinary shots of the square and the point of view of the ‘eagle’s nest’ which characterizes the series.”
For the interior of the jewelry store, filming took place in two locations. The first is an enclosed place located outside Place Vendôme. “For the space with the lounges and the breathtaking view, we had the opportunity to invest in a private mansion overlooking Vendôme. It’s an empty place which is used for parades and events and which we were able to take advantage of the time necessary to make our jewelry”.
Watch season 3 of Lupine now on Netflix.