Lights, Camera, Monaco! Margot Robbie and Bradley Cooper Search for Riviera Extras

 

Hollywood is coming to the Côte d’Azur, and local residents have a chance to be part of it.

Casting is now underway for extras aged between 18 and 90 to appear in the upcoming Ocean’s Eleven prequel, which will film in Nice and Monaco between 24 August and 15 October.

The untitled Warner Bros. production is directed by Bradley Cooper, who also stars alongside Margot Robbie. Set against the glamour and intrigue of the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix, the film follows the parents of Danny Ocean, the legendary heist mastermind later portrayed by George Clooney in the blockbuster franchise. Brazilian actor Wagner Moura, fresh from his Oscar-nominated performance in The Secret Agent, has signed on to play the film’s antagonist.

According to casting notices published by Tous les Castings, producers are searching for a wide range of period-appropriate extras. Roles include hotel and casino staff such as waiters, sommeliers, croupiers and concierges, as well as bodyguards, police officers, firefighters and lifeguards. The production is also seeking mechanics, racing drivers and motorsport engineers, dancers and musicians, English-speaking actors with light-double experience, and people with sailing skills, including boat crew and scooter riders.

 

There is also an open call for crowd-scene extras from all backgrounds, although the requirements are unusually specific in order to recreate the early 1960s. Applicants must have no visible tattoos, piercings or cosmetic surgery, no modern hair colouring, and meet strict height guidelines of no more than 1.82 metres for men and 1.72 metres for women. Male applicants are also required to have short haircuts.

 

Anyone hoping to appear in the film must live in Nice, Monaco or within an hour’s travel of the filming locations.

Costume fittings will take place between August 5th and 23rd and will last approximately half a day. Successful applicants must be available for at least one full day of filming, with some roles requiring several consecutive shooting days for continuity purposes.

Applications are being accepted exclusively through the Tous les Castings website. Preference given only to local candidates and those with the appropriate work authorisation, while applicants are encouraged to highlight any relevant experience in hospitality, motorsport, sailing, dance, security, stunt work or light-double performances.

Production is expected to begin in Paris in July before moving south to the French Riviera. The Ocean’s prequel is currently scheduled to arrive in cinemas on 25 June 2027.

Topic of the Week: Air Conditioning on the French Riviera

 

Air conditioning in France seems to be a particularly hot topic on social media at the moment as the country experiences one of its hottest periods on record. However, not every region is feeling the heat in quite the same way.

 

While Paris has been enduring extreme temperatures, conditions on the Côte d’Azur have been somewhat more forgiving. In fact, the past couple of afternoons have been cloudy, and some areas even received a light sprinkle of rain yesterday.

 

As a Canadian who has lived in the region for over a decade, I personally don’t mind the heat. I accepted long ago that it is simply part of life here, and I genuinely love the climate. With around 300 days of sunshine each year, the Riviera offers a lifestyle where, even in winter, you can usually get by with nothing more than a light jacket and a pair of jeans.

 

Ironically, after spending so much time here, it’s no longer the heat that gets to me. It’s the cold. Even a slight chill is something I feel far more quickly these days. But, that’s just me.

 

For decades, air conditioning on the French Riviera was considered a luxury rather than a necessity. Traditional Mediterranean architecture, with its thick stone walls, shutters and sea breezes, was designed to keep homes relatively cool during the summer months.

But the Côte d’Azur of today is experiencing hotter summers, more heatwaves and rising expectations from international buyers and tourists. As a result, air conditioning has become increasingly common across residential and commercial properties throughout the region. I can’t recall a place I have been to here that doesn’t have some form of air conditioning now.

 

While there are no definitive statistics covering the entire French Riviera, available studies and market data indicate that the region’s adoption of air conditioning far exceeds the national average.

 

Across France as a whole, only around one-quarter of homes have air conditioning. Apartments are particularly less likely to be cooled, with only around 13 percent equipped with air conditioning, while approximately 27 percent of houses have some form of cooling system.

 

The picture changes dramatically in the Mediterranean south of France. Studies suggest that nearly one in two homes in southern France now has air conditioning, and on the French Riviera itself the figures are likely even higher.

 

Today, an estimated 40 to 60 percent of apartments on the Côte d’Azur have air conditioning, while between 60 and 80 percent of villas and detached houses are cooled. Among luxury villas, air conditioning has become almost universal, with more than 90 percent of high-end properties offering fully air-conditioned interiors.

 

The growth has been particularly noticeable in the holiday rental sector. The French Riviera attracts millions of visitors every year and has approximately 55,000 active short-term rental listings. Increasingly, visitors expect air conditioning as a basic amenity rather than a premium extra.

 

Industry estimates suggest that between 70 and 85 percent of Airbnb apartments in cities such as Nice and Cannes now offer air conditioning. Among premium holiday villas, the figure is estimated to be between 90 and 100 percent. Overall, approximately three-quarters to more than four-fifths of short-term rental properties on the Riviera now provide air-conditioned accommodation.

 

Property managers report that rentals lacking air conditioning increasingly struggle to compete during the peak summer season, particularly as temperatures regularly exceed 30 degrees Celsius and heatwaves become more frequent.

 

Commercial properties have also seen widespread adoption of cooling systems. Hotels on the Riviera are estimated to have air conditioning installation rates between 85 and 95 percent, while restaurants, cafés, retail stores and office buildings generally fall within the 70 to 95 percent range.

 

For businesses, climate control has become essential not only for customer comfort but also for employee productivity and operational practicality during increasingly hot summers.

 

The evolution of air conditioning on the French Riviera reflects broader changes occurring across southern Europe. Climate change is bringing longer periods of heat, while international tourism and global property investment are raising expectations regarding comfort and modern amenities.

 

The French Riviera remains synonymous with sunshine, outdoor living and Mediterranean charm. Yet behind the picturesque façades and sea views, air conditioning is quietly transforming from a luxury reserved for a few into an essential feature of everyday life for residents, visitors and businesses alike.

Monaco Relives the Fairytale That Captivated the World: Prince’s Palace Marks 70 Years Since Rainier and Grace’s Legendary Wedding

 

Seventy years after Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly exchanged vows in a ceremony that captivated an estimated 30 million television viewers worldwide, the Prince’s Palace of Monaco is inviting visitors to step back into one of the most iconic royal romances of the twentieth century.

A major new exhibition, The Wedding of the Century, has opened in the State Apartments of the Prince’s Palace, commemorating the extraordinary week of celebrations in April 1956 that transformed Monaco from a small Mediterranean principality into a global symbol of glamour, romance and royalty.

Running from 18 June to 25 September 2026, the exhibition brings together an exceptional collection of photographs, film footage, jewellery, gowns, gifts and previously unseen archival treasures. Together, they recreate the eight remarkable days that began with Grace Kelly’s arrival aboard the SS Constitution on 12 April 1956 and concluded with the newlyweds departing for their honeymoon on 19 April.

Visitors are guided through the Palace’s historic rooms, each dedicated to a different chapter of the celebrations. The exhibition traces the excitement surrounding Grace Kelly’s arrival in Monaco, introduces the principal figures and supporting cast of the wedding, revisits the civil ceremony held in the Throne Room and the religious service at Monaco Cathedral, and explores the festivities staged for the people of Monaco over three unforgettable evenings.

The exhibition also shines a light on the family members who helped shape the story. Among them are Grace Kelly’s father, John B. Kelly, the celebrated three-time Olympic rowing champion, and Princess Charlotte, Prince Rainier III’s mother, who relinquished her place in the line of succession in favour of her son in 1944.

Music played an equally important role in the celebrations. Nadia Boulanger, who served as Master of the Palace Chapel, directed the musical programme for the religious ceremony and drew exclusively from early sacred music. The exhibition also reveals an intriguing chapter involving Monegasque-born composer Léo Ferré, who wrote to Prince Rainier in early 1956 offering to compose a special mass for the wedding. Although the Prince welcomed the gesture, Boulanger’s programme was ultimately chosen.

Fashion enthusiasts will find plenty to admire. Helen Rose, the legendary costume designer at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and one of Hollywood’s most influential creators, designed both Grace Kelly’s celebrated lace wedding gown and the elegant champagne-coloured silk taffeta suit she wore for the civil ceremony on 18 April. 

The exhibition also explores the disappointment of acclaimed designer Edith Head, who had hoped to create the bridal gown and even prepared sketches for consideration. Instead, she designed the outfit Grace Kelly wore as the royal couple departed for their honeymoon.

For the gala evening at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Grace Kelly dazzled in a spectacular creation by the House of Lanvin. Designed by Antonio Castillo, the gown featured more than 600,000 mother-of-pearl sequins and beads, requiring approximately 600 hours of painstaking hand embroidery.

Jewellery gifted to Monaco’s new Princess receives special attention throughout the exhibition. The National Council and Council of the Commune presented Grace Kelly with an extraordinary diamond rivière necklace containing more than 64 carats and a diamond bracelet created by Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels on behalf of the Monegasque people. The Société des Bains de Mer added its own luxurious contribution: a Cartier ruby parure that could be worn as brooches, mounted on a necklace or transformed into a tiara.

The exhibition also highlights the remarkable and often surprising wedding gifts presented to the princely couple. Alongside a Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud gifted by the people of Monaco were a sea scooter from famed oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau and perhaps the most unusual presents of all—two beavers named Pierre and Pierrette, sent from Quebec’s Granby Zoo.

No account of the wedding would be complete without examining the media frenzy that surrounded it. The marriage of Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly was one of the first truly global celebrity events of the television age. Nearly 1,800 journalists and photographers descended upon Monaco to cover the ceremonies, requiring the establishment of a dedicated press centre on the Rock. The celebrations were later immortalised in the colour documentary Le Mariage de Monaco, released in French cinemas just weeks after the wedding.

Curated by Thomas Fouilleron and Vincent Vatrican, with exhibition design by Marine Hayek and Antoine Loudot of Bureau Walter, The Wedding of the Century is more than a retrospective. It is a vivid journey back to the moment a Hollywood star became a princess and a small principality captured the imagination of the world.
 

The Wedding of the Century exhibition is open daily in the State Apartments of the Prince’s Palace until 25 September 2026. Visitors can explore the exhibition from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in June and September, and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. throughout July and August.

Additional information and tickets are available here.

Fête de la Musique 2026

 

Every year on June 21, France comes alive with the sounds of music during Fête de la Musique, a nationwide celebration that encourages everyone—from professional musicians to amateur performers—to take to the streets and share their music.

First launched in 1982 by the French Ministry of Culture, the festival was created with a simple idea: make music accessible to everyone and transform public spaces into open-air stages. The event is free, inclusive, and embraces every musical genre, from classical and jazz to rock, electronic, folk, and world music.

In Nice, Fête de la Musique is celebrated with particular enthusiasm. The city’s squares, streets, and seaside promenades fill with performers and audiences throughout the evening.

Areas such as Place Masséna, Vieux Nice, and the Promenade des Anglais often become vibrant hubs of activity where bands, choirs, solo artists, and DJs perform before crowds of residents and visitors. Cafés and restaurants frequently host live acts, while impromptu performances can be found around nearly every corner. 

And the LGBTQ+ community is no stranger to Fête de la Musique; if anything it tends to lead the way with parties inside and outside the establishments late into the night.

The atmosphere is festive and communal, with people strolling through the city, stopping to listen, dance, and enjoy one of France’s most beloved cultural traditions under the warm Mediterranean sky.