If Money Heist was thrilling to watch, imagine what it was like to film. The series, which went from flop to worldwide phenomenon over the course of five seasons, boasts a cast of characters that has actually caused fan riots. (You can see one of said riots in the documentary Money Heist: The Phenomenon, streaming on Netflix.) Now, as the Professor and his crew of misfit bank robbers finish their final adventure, the cast reflect on some of the most memorable — and shocking and funny and dangerous and emotional — moments from their time on the show. 

Below, cast members Úrsula Corberó (the fiery robber Tokyo), Álvaro Morte (the all-knowing Professor), Miguel Herrán (the love-struck hacker Rio), Itzair Ituño (the cop-turned-collaborator Lisbon), Pedro Alonso (the evil genius Berlin), Darko Perić (the fierce-looking-but-soft-centered Helsinki) and Esther Acebo (the hostage-turned-robber Stockholm) share their Money Heist experiences, including what they'll take from their characters and their favorite scenes to film.

Describe your character in three words.

Corberó (Tokyo): Hot tempered.

Acebo (Stockholm): Three words? Well, brave would have to be one. It's one I repeat. Empathetic. And, let's see — honest.

Herrán (Rio): Love for Tokyo. He's a character I based entirely on falling in love with this woman, Úrsula. He's a guy who just wants to be with Tokyo.

Perić (Helsinki): I can define him in two words, and in latin. Semper fidelis [Translation: “Always faithful”]. I think that's it.

Alonso (Berlin): It's impossible. There are so many sides to him, there's no way. I don't know, a sweet, tender guy.

Ituño (Lisbon): She's sensible, strong and kind of crazy. 

What did you take with you from your role?

Corberó (Tokyo): The strength that she has to confront any adversity that life puts in her path — I think that's something that's hard to have all the time. I'm a bit more like that now, thanks to Tokyo.

Acebo (Stockholm): A lot of courage. She's probably not the toughest lady out there, or the strongest, but she has another kind of strength. I think if I had been in her shoes, I probably would have run away more than once. More than twice. But she's still there and she's still whole.

Herrán (Rio): His purity and kindness. I think that Rio is a character who doesn't hide anything at all. He's transparent, and for me, [that’s] one of the most important values in life. If I hurt you, it should be sincere, not because I [hid] something. That's something that Rio has, and I'm very proud of it.

Perić (Helsinki): Being yourself. Helsinki has always been like that. He's always been very honest, very loyal. I would also love to not speak all that much, like him; to speak little, like he does, and do more. But that's a work in progress, you know?

Alonso (Berlin): This might be hard to understand, but his sense of breathing. We live in a world that's very fast-paced, busy, competitive — that demands an instant response. But Berlin always takes his time: He stops, slows down, [and] you think, 'What's going to happen now?'

Ituño (Lisbon): [She’s] a fighter, a lion. She doesn't lose her vulnerability or her emotion, which I actually think makes [a person] stronger in life. People often mistakenly think that being vulnerable makes you weak. It's the opposite. I've adopted that a lot.

What is your all-time favorite scene from the series?

Corberó (Tokyo): [When the group is training in Part 1, Episode 6] All us youngsters sneak out of the house in Toledo to go to a street party in town. There's a camera dance there with no cuts: [it’s] Rio, Nairobi, Denver [played by Jaime Lorente] and me, and it was a lot of fun. Because it was close to the beginning, I think it was the scene where we all became friends. It was a very important day in my life.

Morte (the Professor): [When he’s hiding from police in the junkyard in Part 1, Episode 7] I had to speak in Russian. I got chased by a dog. I got covered in engine oil and dirt and all the rest. It was really fun to do. But more than that, I remember it being the moment when a different door opened for the Professor. Up to that point, [he] had been a bookworm — he was completely immersed in his plans, his calculations and all the rest. Then, all of a sudden, he has to leave his comfort zone and get into the action.

Herrán (Rio): [When Rio says goodbye to Tokyo in Panama in Part 3, Episode 1] That was the first time I swam with sharks. I have a phobia of the sea and sharks. And that day, after shooting the scene, at 2 o'clock in the morning, I swam with a whole bunch of sharks with an incredible feeling of peace. I thought, 'Wow, I understand this character, I understand myself, and I am at peace.' It was a connection with everything, with myself, with the character — call it what you will.

Perić (Helsinki): [After Nairobi’s death in Part 4, Episode 7] Nairobi's funeral, when they take out the casket and I'm playing the harmonica. [That’s] etched in my brain. 

Alonso (Berlin): [When Arturo is shot in Part 1, Episode 6] A surgeon came, a real surgeon, for the close-ups. They'd given [Enrique Arce, who plays Arturo] this incredible wound out of latex and whatever else they use. I was giving him all my care, all my tenderness, and Enrique was suffering incredibly. And I was like, “Wow, you're so dramatic!” So we did the takes, the inserts, the close-ups of the surgeon's hands, and the guy actually stitched him up. On camera. And he was like, “Ah!” No anesthetic, nothing. And he gave him two real stitches! When the lunch break came, they took everything off him and he comes in with the two stitches, “Look!” That day, I swear we couldn't stop praising Enrique Arce.

Ituño (Lisbon): [In the junkyard in Part 1, Episode 7] I was driving a patrol car [with an automatic transmission], and I have no idea how to drive an automatic. They explained to me what position I had to leave that little gear shifter in, and instead of leaving it in [park], I did it wrong. I had to get out of the car, and while I was moving forward, I see that [the car] was going backwards. I turned around and the car was kind of on a slope... and there was another car behind. I looked over and Fernando Soto was there, climbing in the window to put on the emergency brake. It was very funny. They've been teasing me about it since. “You almost crashed a cop car!” Look, I've never been good at driving automatics.