When you say the word ‘heist’ you usually think of money, drugs or possibly gold, right? But a maple syrup heist involving millions of dollars’ worth of the sticky stuff? Better still, the wacky robbery is actually true!
Even Chris Diamantopoulos, star of The Sticky, which is loosely based on the Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist of 2011/2012, initially thought the crime was made up.
“I remember thinking, ‘Is this an urban myth – are they grossly exaggerating?’” Chris, 49, tells TV WEEK. “Then as I did a little digging, I realised we’re talking $18 million of stolen maple syrup. You can’t make that up. It’s harrowing and hilarious at the same time.”
The Sticky is a six-part series filmed in Montreal, Canada, that’s loosely based on a heist where more than $18 million of maple syrup was stolen from Quebec’s national reserves. That figure represented more than 70 per cent of the global maple syrup supply at the time.
The dark comedy crime series follows Ruth Landry (Margo Martindale), a brutish maple syrup farmer who’s had enough of the bureaucratic authority constantly threatening to take away her farm.
With the help of Remy Bouchard (Guillaume Cyr), a barmy security guard, and Mike Byrne (Chris Diamantopoulos), a low-level mobster, Ruth and her unlikely stooges steal millions of dollars worth of maple syrup in an attempt to change their futures.
For Chris, a proud Canadian known for starring in Silicon Valley and lending his voice to American Dad!, filming in his home country was a dream come true.
“Rural northern Quebec and the maple syrup world has never been represented,” he says. “What they’ve done with this show that’s so brilliant is the music, the set design, the characters, the costumes, the vibe, even the accents – it takes you to a place you haven’t seen before.”
He was also able to unwind after a long day of filming alongside his incredible co-stars and enjoy the little things he had missed about home, while paying tribute to his new role.
“Margo and I would go get drinks after work,” Chris reveals. “Typically, an old fashioned [cocktail] is done with sugar or honey, but in Montreal they do them with maple syrup. It was a terrific homage to what we were working on.”
Stream The Sticky on Prime Video from $6.58/mth, with a 30-day free trial.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
