Omar Sy said no one recognized him while he was putting up a poster for "Lupin " at a subway station.- Sy stars as suave conman Assane Diop in the hit
Netflix thriller . - Assane frequently takes on disguises that help him go unnoticed while carrying out elaborate plots.
"Lupin" star Omar Sy said no one at a Paris Metro station recognized him while he was putting up a poster for the hit Netflix thriller. In fact, one person even declined to help Sy when the actor asked for help.
Sy, who is one of the most well-known movie stars in France, opened up about getting ignored by commuters at a subway station, near the famous Louvre Museum, during a chat with Time magazine published on Tuesday.
"There is a category of person in France, people who have specific jobs, but who we never stop to consider," Sy said. "People will just pass by you without seeing you."
Sy previously shared an Instagram clip of the experience in January to mark the release of the first part of the critically-acclaimed thriller.
In the minute-long IGTV video, the actor is seen dressed in dark clothes and wearing a black facemask as he climbs onto a bench at the station platform to place a "Lupin" poster on the wall.
Sy is surrounded by commuters who briefly look at the actor from time to time without saying anything. Only one person approaches Sy and helps him out in the video.
Sy's 'Lupin' character is frequently seen wearing disguises
While Sy going unrecognized at the Paris station might have been unexpected for the actor, much of his "Lupin" character's success in the show depends on not getting noticed by law enforcement, antagonists, and former lovers.
In "Lupin," Sy plays Assane Diop, a man trying to take revenge against a few very wealthy people who may have framed his late father for stealing a priceless diamond necklace. Throughout the show, Assane takes inspiration from Arsène Lupin, a character created by real-life French novelist Maurice LeBlanc, in his many heists. Much like Assane, Lupin robbed people while being classy and charming.
In the first part of the series, released on Netflix in January, Assane dresses up as a food delivery person, a member of the cleaning crew at the Louvre Museum, and an IT technician in various episodes as he carries out elaborate plans to clear his father's name.
When Assane is disguised as a gig worker or someone doing mundane chores (much like Sy putting up a poster at a Paris subway station), the suave conman does not get noticed by the police and the ultra-wealthy who possibly framed his father, because, as the protagonist says in the first episode, "those at the top don't look at the bottom."
"What we say in the series is not an invention. It is what is happening in real life," Sy told Time about his experience with anonymity at the Metro stop.
However, it has been a few months since Sy's trip to the Paris Metro station in January and things might have changed - especially since "Lupin" has become one of the most popular shows on Netflix.
The Hollywood Reporter wrote in April that the series, which holds a 98% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, was the most-watched Netflix show in the first quarter of 2021. Seventy-six million viewers watched at least some of the thriller's first part, the streaming platform told THR.
Viewers will soon get to see more of Assane and his disguises in part two of "Lupin," which will debut on Netflix on June 11.