Drew Starkey initially thought flashing police lights were part of the action while filming a driving sequence for the Apple TV limited series Lucky.
The actor was riding with Hayley Wright, lead star Anya Taylor-Joy’s stunt double, when a real officer stopped their vehicle because cars were not permitted on the beach.
With the cameras and crew positioned far away, there was little visible evidence that a television production was underway.
The Scene Sent Starkey and Wright Onto a Beach
Starkey recalled the incident while discussing his favorite memories from filming the action-heavy series. The sequence required Wright to drive a car through a garage door and onto a long stretch of beach, with Starkey riding beside her.
Wright was “tearing it up,” he told People, as they completed the planned route. The production was using a long camera lens to capture the action from a distance. When Starkey noticed flashing lights behind them, he initially assumed that police had been added to the sequence without his knowledge.
Wright Realized They Were Actually Being Pulled Over
Wright recognized the situation before Starkey did and told him that the police appeared to be stopping them for real. An officer approached the driver’s side and explained that vehicles were not allowed on the beach. Wright apologized and said they were filming a television series.
“Where are the cameras?” the officer asked. Taylor-Joy, who was not inside the vehicle during the stop, joked during the interview that claiming the apparently unlawful activity was only a performance sounded like the worst possible response to give a police officer. Starkey continued the joke by imagining himself trying to convince the officer that what he had just witnessed was not real.
Production Assistants Cleared Up the Misunderstanding
The confusion ended when production assistants noticed what was happening and ran toward the vehicle. “The PAs ran in and sorted it all out,” Starkey said. Neither Starkey nor Wright was reported to have been arrested or cited following the incident. Starkey described the unexpected stop as his favorite memory from the show’s action sequences.
‘Lucky’ Places Its Characters on the Wrong Side of the Law
Starkey plays Cary Masterson in Lucky, while Taylor-Joy stars as con artist Luciana “Lucky” Armstrong and serves as an executive producer. The crime thriller follows Lucky after a multimillion-dollar heist goes wrong, leaving her pursued by both the FBI and a dangerous crime boss.
The seven-episode series is based on Marissa Stapley’s bestselling novel and also stars Annette Bening, Timothy Olyphant, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Clifton Collins Jr. and William Fichtner. Lucky premiered globally on Apple TV with its first two episodes on July 15. New episodes are scheduled to arrive every Wednesday through the August 19 finale.