Lucas Bravo tried to prank George Clooney on 'Ticket to Paradise' set (2024)

What do you do when you book a movie with legends George Clooney and Julia Roberts?

For Lucas Bravo, the answer was obvious: He showed up to work. “Luck is where preparation meets opportunity, and I felt so prepared for this,” Bravo told TODAY, ahead of his appearance on the 3rd Hour.

And so, he kept his role in “Ticket to Paradise” quiet, flying to Australia and starting filming the Bali-set rom-com. “Getting the part is one thing — crushing it is the other,” he said.

Bravo did, however, tell his parents in France about the role, which included kissing Roberts.

“They were just jumping around, and they just started telling their friends, which they’ve never done before. This was the first time,” Bravo said, laughing.

Born and raised in Nice, the actor rose to fame in the U.S. with his role as Gabriel, the dreamy chef next door in Darren Star’s Netflix treat “Emily in Paris.” Earlier this summer, Bravo starred in “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” alongside Lesley Manville.

In “Ticket to Paradise,” which comes out on Oct. 21 in theaters, Bravo’s character is dating Roberts’, who is distracted by an unfolding family saga. She and her ex-husband (Clooney) can’t agree on anything — but reach consensus in wanting to stop their daughter (Kaitlyn Dever) from moving forward with her whirlwind engagement. They fly to Bali in the hopes of stopping her from making the same mistake they did: Getting married.

High jinks ensue — including a dance scene that Roberts and Clooney told TODAY mortified the younger people on set.

“The young kids just were so, they were so ... they were shockingly embarrassed,” Clooney, 61, said.

Bravo, who wasn’t part of the scene, showed up because he couldn’t say no to witnessing what was sure to be an “iconic moment.”

Bravo said his expectations were met, and then some. “I was mesmerized that night.

“They had a choreographer and they said no. They said, ‘We’re going to come up with our own moves.’ When they started doing the wave, I was like, ‘This is something I cannot unsee. Either I will cherish it for the rest of my days or I will have nightmares about it. I don’t know which one,” he said.

By the end of the scene, Bravo said Clooney was ”completely drenched,” because “they just went at it.”

“They left it all on the floor. That’s when we knew this was going to be a fun one,” Bravo said.

Bravo said the entire cast joined in. “You’re in Australia, it’s December but it’s summer, and you’re with iconic actors. You have to dance it out at some point.”

As for whether working with Roberts and Clooney met expectations?

“I was so amazed at how selfless they are,” Bravo said. “Their acting on set is about putting you in the lights, elevating you. It’s something I’d never experienced before. There’s a lot of egos in the industry. For them, it’s just, ‘I’m gonna make you look good.’ Through that process, I’ll shine on my own. But it’s not about me, it’s about you.”

He said he hopes to take this “sharing, selfless process” with him for the rest of his career. “You can apply it to life, too," he said.

Bravo said also might take Clooney’s trickster spirit with him to the next project, too.

On set, Bravo tried to out prank the notorious prankster. At one point, he taped copies of Clooney’s People's Sexiest Man Alive covers to computer desktops throughout the hotel.

Then, on the last day of filming, he showed up wearing Clooney’s Batman outfit. “I kind of pranked myself on that one,” he said, calling it more of an “homage” than a prank.

Looking back, this moment marks a milestone for Bravo, who came to Hollywood on a whim. Bravo was studying to be a lawyer but his heart wasn't in it. His friend invited him to L.A. for a week —and he stayed.

Sending a message to his younger self, Bravo said, "It's OK. You're doing everything you can. You are loved and accepted. Trust the universe, trust the process."