Juliette Pellegrini

Juliette Pellegrini is a major character in the French thriller series Lupin. She is portrayed by Clotilde Hesme as an adult, and Léa Bonneau as a teenager.

Juliette is Anne and Hubert's daughter, and Assane's on-and-off paramour. In parts 1 and 2, she is in the process of starting a foundation to provide opportunities for underprivileged children.

1995


One day, as Assane prepares to swim in the Pellegrinis’ pool, he notices that Juliette is lying nearby. She asks him if he is the chauffeur's son; Assane replies that he is, and that he will be fourteen years old in a week’s time. Juliette asks Assane whether a rumor she has heard that Black people cannot swim is true. Assane responds that he, at least, can swim. Juliette tells Assane that if he swims across the pool, she will kiss him. In an undignified manner, Assane paddles to the other side of the pool, where Juliette upholds her promise.

After Assane’s transfer to the Andrésy school, Juliette sees him on occasion. However, her father puts a stop to this, telling Juliette that people like Assane are beneath them, and that she is never to interact with him again.

2006
Although Assane’s most significant romantic relationship is with Claire, he has also been carrying out an affair with Juliette, which he intends to end. One day, Juliette visits a restaurant where Assane and Benjamin Ferel are having lunch. Once they are alone in one of the restaurant's bathrooms, Assane asks Juliette to stop following him around, telling her that his cheating on Claire has been a mistake, since he is a good person. A distressed Juliette responds that she likes Assane because he is not a good person. She also complains about Claire and informs Assane that she will not keep waiting for him.

Part 1


Juliette oversees the proceedings when the Queen's Necklace gets auctioned off at the Louvre. She tells the attendees that the purchase of the necklace will help create the Hubert & Juliette Pellegrini Foundation in support of children in need. The bidding begins at 17 million euros; Assane, claiming to be a multimillionaire tech businessman named Paul Sernine, continually outbids all the other attendees and wins. Juliette does not see Assane's face for the duration of the auction.

After the auction and the ensuing theft of the necklace, Juliette visits her mother Anne, telling her that the jewels that have been recovered by the police are fake, and commenting that her father will be very upset. Anne reminds Juliette that with Hubert, one is either with him or against him. Shortly afterward, Juliette receives an envelope containing an anonymous message, which tells her to be at Luxembourg Gardens the following afternoon, without any police present. A diamond from the necklace is also included with the letter.



The next day, Juliette goes to Luxembourg Gardens, but calls the police, who are standing nearby in plain clothes in order to provide assistance if needed. Assane rides into the gardens wearing the uniform of a Deli + Eat delivery man, as well as a scarf, helmet and sunglasses, all of which obscure his face completely. He sits down next to Juliette and, seeing that she is wearing a microphone pin, covers it with his hand as he reveals his face. Assane tells a shocked Juliette about Benjamin’s revelation that the necklace has never been taken apart; Juliette admits that the story she had told about the gems being scattered across the world was made up to create hype for the auction, and that the necklace had actually been bought from a jeweler in south Africa. Assane entreats Juliette to tell him that his father was innocent. Juliette responds that she cannot, reminding him that Babakar had signed a confession to the theft. Assane jumps on his bike and rides out of the park, with the police attempting to chase him. He successfully escapes when several more Deli + Eat delivery men, whom he had previously called, appear on the scene, confusing the police.

After Captain Romain Laugier reviews the video footage from Luxembourg Gardens, he brings Juliette in for questioning, asserting that she seems to know the suspect. Juliette is uncooperative, responding that she can call her lawyers and get Laugier fired within minutes. Juliette has, however, become slightly suspicious of her father, and asks him if Babakar had really stolen the necklace. Hubert immediately grows angry, loudly maintaining that Babakar was the thief, and professing to be hurt by Juliette doubting his honesty. He asks Juliette if she stands with him; she responds that she does.

Later, Juliette and her father are in a business meeting, when the other members of their team suddenly begin to receive cell phone notifications. Juliette checks her own phone and sees that a twitter user named “Salvator813” is accusing Hubert of having sold arms to a group of Malaysian terrorists, and is threatening to leak video of the event. Juliette asks Hubert about the contents of the video; he denies knowing what it is about. Worried that bad publicity will affect the launch of her foundation, Juliette urges her father to do something about the threat. When Hubert gives his press conference regarding the tweet, Juliette proudly stands behind him.



After seeing “Salvator” fail to reveal any incriminating information on The Other Edition, Juliette is convinced of her father’s innocence. She calls Hubert and tells him that she believes that Salvator is actually Assane Diop, and that Assane had also been behind the Louvre heist. Juliette asks Hubert why Assane is doing these things; Hubert replies that Assane wants to destroy the Pellegrini family due to his belief that they are responsible for Babakar’s death.

Part 2
Juliette and Hubert make a promotional video with the presenter of The Other Edition, in which Hubert condemns "Salvator." Afterwards, the two attend an social gathering at the Park Hyatt hotel in honor of Juliette’s foundation, where, unbeknownst to Juliette, Hubert is holding Raoul hostage. Juliette gives a speech, thanking her supporters and revealing that the foundation will officially be launched with an upcoming concert at the Théâtre du Châtelet.

Juliette meets with many potential donors in order to secure the success of her project. One of these, a French-Canadian entrepreneur named Horace Velmont (actually a fictional personality created by Assane and Benjamin), stands Juliette up for dinner. When Juliette sees Assane walking by the restaurant she is in, she motions for him to come inside. Assane acts suspicious of her motivations, but Juliette assures him that she means well, stating that the bad blood between their fathers need not come between the two of them. She tells Assane about her work and being stood up by Valmont, and comments that her life has grown serious. Assane asks Juliette if she misses the adrenaline-filled days of their youth, and Juliette admits that she does. The two decide to leave the restaurant without paying, after which Assane steals a motorcycle and takes Juliette on a ride across Paris. Unbeknownst to Juliette, Assane had planned their entire evening, making arrangements with both the restaurant and the owner of the motorcycle.



Next, Juliette encounters Assane at the Musée d’Orsay. She is stunned to see him there, and tells him that although their evening together had been greatly enjoyable for her, they cannot stop time. Later, Juliette receives what appears to be a priceless Pissarro from the museum (in reality, a detailed fake created by Benjamin), with a note attached that reads “Sometimes, we can stop time.” Almost immediately, several notifications pop up on Juliette's computer and phone reporting on the theft of the painting. At the same time, two ex-convicts dressed as police officers enter her room and ask her about its disappearance, since Juliette was in the museum shortly before it “went missing.” Juliette nervously tells them that she doesn’t know anything about the theft.

When she sees Assane again, Juliette is irritated with him, asking him what he was thinking by stealing the Pissarro. She is also confused by Assane’s apparent pursuit of her, as he had told her fourteen years earlier that he wanted to stay true to Claire. Assane tells Juliette that he was wrong, and claims that Claire is the mother of his child and nothing more. Juliette reveals that she has been looking at Claire’s social media accounts and has noticed that her new boyfriend Marc has given her a bracelet as a present. She demands that Assane steal it to prove his affections for her.



After having taken the bracelet, Assane presents it to Juliette. However, he tells her that he would prefer that they just start over, stating that he will return the bracelet to Claire, and the painting to the Musée d’Orsay. Assane complains that Hubert has always been against their being a couple and reminds Juliette of Hubert’s accusations against Babakar, suggesting that she doesn’t know the full story. He urges Juliette to speak to her mother about it, handing her an envelope with the name “Ganimard” written on it, instructing her that "Ganimard" is a trustworthy police officer who will be willing to hear Anne’s evidence, should she choose to come forward with it. Juliette returns the bracelet to Assane, which he sends back to Claire. In her office, Juliette reads that the Pissarro painting has been recovered.

Juliette decides to visit Anne, telling her that she needs to understand the truth about Babakar. Anne admits that in 1995, Hubert’s company was bleeding money, so he hired Babakar with the intention of framing him for the necklace theft in order to collect the insurance payout. Juliette is horrified and asks Anne why she did not go to the police immediately. Anne confesses that she believed the loss of Hubert would scar Juliette, as the two had been very close. Highly distressed by what she is hearing, Juliette begs Anne to fix her previous mistake by reporting Hubert to “Ganimard.”

Some time later, Juliette receives news that Hubert has been taken into police custody. She walks along her and Assane’s usual meeting spot by the Seine. Assane meets her there and kisses her. However, Hubert is quickly released due to his connections to the powerful politician Albert Fontan. In dismay, Juliette reveals the news to Assane, lamenting that her father always gets whatever he wants. She considers cancelling her concert, but Assane argues that she should not, since her foundation would be giving an excellent opportunity to children who truly need it.

That evening, Assane becomes France’s most wanted criminal after the news breaks of his masterminding the Louvre heist and his supposed murder of Léonard. Juliette watches the news in shock, and calls Assane, but is unable to reach him.



On the night of the concert at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Juliette anxiously applies her makeup while Hubert tells her that he is proud of her. As the musicians assemble, Juliette walks onstage and introduces the event, telling the audience that she appreciates their support and that they can donate to her foundation using a specially created app. After finishing her brief speech, Juliette sits in her seat to enjoy the music, and is stunned when Assane appears onstage after it has finished. He apologizes to Juliette for ruining her launch, and publicly accuses Hubert of organizing the murders of Babakar and Fabienne Bériot as well as the kidnapping of Raoul. He concludes by revealing Hubert’s intent to scam Juliette and the foundation.

Part 3
Juliette makes a brief appearance as one of the spectators at Assane’s funeral. It is not made clear what became of her foundation after her father’s imprisonment.

Personality
Juliette is an outgoing but somewhat gullible and emotionally needy person. Although she has a tendency towards jealousy and elitism, she nevertheless demonstrates a kindhearted earnestness and a desire to do the right thing that firmly distinguishes her from her father. In her youth, Juliette was a thrill-seeker who responded positively to Assane’s more audacious escapades. Presently, she maintains that she has little time for such sudden rushes of adrenaline, as she is consumed with work.



Juliette is shown to be a fashionable connoisseur of arts and culture, often scouting out famed museums and theaters in which to launch her endeavors. She is aware that her ability to do this stems from inherited wealth; unlike Hubert, Juliette legitimately wants to do good by using this wealth to set up charitable foundations. However, she is not above using her social standing in order to get her way.

Due to her skills marketing and promotion, Juliette presided over the auction of her father’s necklace, having helped to craft the story of its return into the family’s hands. She is a major public face for the Pellegrini family, often speaking at functions and social events in honor of their initiatives.

Hubert


In her youth, Juliette was extremely close with her father, despite his emotionally manipulative behavior and his banning her from contacting Assane. They maintained their strong relationship into 2020, with Hubert seemingly setting Juliette up to succeed him as the head of the Pellegrini enterprises. Juliette was largely unaware of her father’s corruption, despite her mother warning her that he had many skeletons in his closet. She began to have doubts about Hubert after meeting Assane at Luxembourg Gardens, which only increased after the threatened release of the Malaysia tape. However, she sided with her father after Assane failed to expose Hubert’s misdeeds.

Eventually, however, Assane was able to successfully turn Juliette against Hubert by manipulating her into asking Anne about his past crimes. Even then, she did not know that Hubert was planning to take 85% of the donations to the foundation for himself, and it is not clear how she responded to her father’s arrest following the concert.

Anne
Juliette and Anne share a loving relationship. In 1995, Anne did not report Hubert due to her concern that Juliette would be devastated by her father going to prison. After Hubert and Anne became estranged, Juliette visited Anne on several occasions. Juliette urged Anne to report Hubert's crimes to the police; although Anne was initially reluctant, she eventually agreed.

Assane
Juliette met Assane in 1995, when Babakar was employed with the Pellegrini family. It was Juliette who gave Assane his first kiss. Seemingly during a period in which he had fallen out with Claire, Assane and Juliette met and grew close once again, but this temporarily ended when Hubert forbade Juliette from seeing Assane.



Later, though, the two continued to meet one another, and by 2006, Juliette was Assane’s mistress. Their romance was largely based around their shared love for fast-paced life and thrills. To Juliette’s distress, Assane ended their affair shortly before Claire told him of her pregnancy with Raoul.

Juliette and Assane do not appear to have seen each other again prior to the Louvre auction. In 2020, Juliette was caught between her feelings for Assane and her loyalty to her father; eventually, however, Assane was able to get Juliette to see the full extent of Hubert's evils. After this, Assane made little effort to make any contact with Juliette at all.

Claire
Although they have been in close proximity to one another on several occasions, Juliette does not appear to have ever spoken with Claire. Even so, Juliette maintains a strong and envious dislike for Claire, and considers her a romantic rival. In 2020, Juliette admitted to having stalked Claire on Instagram, and demanded that Assane steal a bracelet from Claire to prove his affections.

Appearances

 * Part One


 * Chapter 1
 * Chapter 2
 * Chapter 4
 * Chapter 5


 * Part Two


 * Chapter 7
 * Chapter 8
 * Chapter 9
 * Chapter 10


 * Part Three


 * Chapter 2
 * Chapter 7

Quotes
"If you swim to me, I’ll kiss you. A real kiss...not like your mother’s."

- Juliette to Assane in 1995

"You can detain me, I’ll send for my lawyers, and you’ll get fired within fifteen minutes."

- Juliette threatens Laugier during her questioning

"It’s never been simple between our two families. But our fathers aren’t us."

- Juliette to Assane in the restaurant

Trivia

 * Juliette's name may be loosely inspired by Josephine Balsamo, Countess of Cagliostro, a character in the original Lupin stories.