‘Outer Banks’ Star Madelyn Cline Reveals Spanish Police Mistook Her for Sex Trafficker

Filming abroad often leads to unexpected adventures, but few actors have encountered a mistaken identity tale as strange as this one. Sometimes, the most bizarre plot twists occur entirely off camera.

Madelyn Cline has spent the last few years balancing her breakout role in ‘Outer Banks’ with a growing film career, including her role in ‘Glass Onion’ and the upcoming ‘Day Drinker,’ which reunites her with Penélope Cruz and Johnny Depp. Her time in Madrid for this project turned out to be far more unusual than she anticipated.

While staying alone in an apartment in Madrid’s Salamanca district during filming, Cline reported that local police frequently arrived at her door, eventually revealing that they believed she was operating a sex trafficking ring from her residence. It was only after a candid conversation with her ‘Day Drinker’ co-star Penélope Cruz that Cline grasped the full extent of the situation.

“Did I tell you the story about how when I was in Spain, I was working, and the police kept showing up to my apartment door?” Cline shared on the August 13 episode of Jake Shane’s ‘Therapuss’ podcast. When Shane joked that they might have thought she was a prostitute, Cline clarified that the situation was even stranger, stating that the police believed she was “the leader” of the operation.

Cline recounted how the repeated police visits left her frightened and confused for weeks, as officers spoke to her in Spanish, took her passport and personal information, but never explained what she was accused of. She eventually discussed the unsettling situation with Cruz on set, mentioning her thoughts of moving out due to the distressing visits.

That conversation proved pivotal in unraveling the mystery. When Cline mentioned her residence in Madrid’s Salamanca neighborhood, Cruz quickly realized it was the same building she had lived in years prior and recalled receiving a call from an old neighbor warning that police had traced a local crime ring back to that address.

With that context, everything fell into place. “They tracked it back to the building and they were coming to my apartment directly, and I found out later that it was some sex ring,” Cline explained, noting that police mistakenly believed she was the operation’s madam, despite having no ties to it whatsoever.

Although the situation was alarming at the time, Cline has since been able to reflect on the experience with humor, emphasizing that she holds no judgment toward sex workers and merely wanted to clarify her lack of involvement in the industry. This story has quickly become one of the more memorable behind-the-scenes anecdotes from the ‘Day Drinker’ production.

The film itself continues to generate excitement ahead of its release next year, largely due to its impressive cast pairing Cline with two of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Cruz and Depp. Given the eventful nature of Cline’s time in Madrid off camera, fans are likely hoping some of that unpredictable energy translates into the final film when it hits theaters.

For now, Cline’s experience with mistaken identity serves as a reminder that international film shoots can bring plenty of surprises unrelated to the actual production.

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