Juliette Pellegrini

Juliette Pellegrini is a character in the first part of Lupin. She is portrayed by Clotilde Hesme, while her younger counterpart is portrayed by Lea Bonneau respectively.

She Anne and Hubert's daughter and Assane's one-time paramour.

1995
One day, as Assane gets ready to take a swim in the Pellegrinis’ pool, he notices that Juliette is lying nearby. She asks him if he is the chauffeur’s son; Assane tells her that he is, and that he will be fourteen years old in a week’s time. Juliette asks Assane whether the rumor that black people can’t swim is true. Assane responds that he, at leastm can swim. Juliette tells Assane that if he swims across the pool, she will kiss him. Assane paddles to the other side of the pool, where Juliette upholds her promise.

2006
Although Assane’s main romantic relationship is with Claire, he has also been carrying out an affair with Juliette. One day, Juliette visits a restaurant where Assane and Benjamin are having lunch. Assane gets up and goes to talk to her in one of the bathrooms, asking her to stop following him around. Assane tells Juliette that his cheating on Claire has been a mistake, and claims to be a good person. Juliette responds that Assane is not a good person, which is what she likes about him. She also complains about Claire and tells Assane that she will not keep waiting for him; Assane replies that this is the right thing to do.

Present day
Juliette oversees the proceedings when her father’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, which will support cultural and artistic projects. 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.

After the auction and the ensuing theft, Juliette visits her mother Anne, telling her that the necklace that has been procured by the police has turned out to be a fake and commenting that her father will be very upset. Anne reminds Juliette that with Hubert, one is either with him or against him. When Juliette leaves Anne, she is handed an envelope containing an anonymous message, which tells her to be at Luxembourg Gardens in fourteen hours, and not to bring any police. 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, which obscure his face. Assane sits down next to Juliette (who recognizes him easily) and, seeing that she is wearing a microphone pin, covers it with his hand as he reveales his face. Assane tells Juliette about Benjamin’s revelation that the necklace has never been taken apart; Juliette admits that the story the Pellegrinis had told about the gems being scattered across the world was made up to create hype, and that the necklace had actually been bought from a jeweller in south Africa. Assane urges 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, and tells him that she is not sure if he truly knew his father. Assane jumps on his bike and rides out of the park, with the police attempting to chase him in vain after several more Deli + Eat delivery men, previously called in by Assane, appear on the scene.

Later, when Laugier reviews the video footage of the Luxembourg Gardens fiasco, he brings Juliette in for questioning, telling her that she seems to know the suspect. Juliette tells Laugier that if he really believes her to be guilty of collusion, she will call her lawyers and get him fired, and leaves. Juliette has, however, become slightly suspicious of her father, and asks him if Babakar had really stolen the necklace. Hubert becomes angry, maintaining that Babakar was the thief, and professing to be hurt by her doubting his honesty. He asks Juliette if she is with him; she responds that she is.

Later, Juliette and her father are in a business meeting, when the other members of their team suddenly begin getting cell phone notifications and leaving. 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 threatening to leak video of the event. Juliette asks Hubert about the contents of the video; he denies knowing what it is about. Juliette asks her father to do something about the threat, since she doesn’t want the launch of her foundation to be ruined. When Hubert gives his press conference regarding the tweet, Juliette proudly stands behind him.

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

Personality and relationships
Juliette is outgoing and confident. She is close with her father, Hubert, and works closely with him on his business affairs. Juliette is skilled at marketing and promotion, presiding over the auction of the necklace and helping to craft the story of its return into her father’s hands. She wants to do good by using the family’s money to set up charitable foundations; however, she is not above using her social standing in order to get her way.

Juliette first met Assane in 1995, when Babakar was working for the Pellegrini family; it was Juliette who gave Assane his first kiss. Later, the two carried out an extended affair, which Assane ended in 2006 in order to devote himself to his relationship with Claire. Juliette was dismayed by Assane’s decision, but ultimately let him go. She continues to maintain a degree of loyalty to Assane in the present day, declining to give his name up to the police as a suspect in the case of the necklace theft. However, when Assane comes into increasing conflict with Hubert, Juliette sides with her father.

Appearances

 * Part One


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

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

Trivia

 * Juliette has some similarities with Josephine Balsamo, one of the primary antagonists in the Arsène Lupin stories.