Photo shoot: Chasing movie stars in Chatham for filming of 'The Perfect Couple'
It was not the best star gazing weather, a damp chill, temps barely topping out at 40. Nonetheless, I slung my media credentials around my neck and headed across a parking lot filled with cars and trucks.
This was not a search into the night sky for constellations; it was a paparazzi stakeout looking for movie stars.
Yes, Hollywood has again come to Chatham, filming a Netflix series based on Nantucket author Elin Hilderbrand’s book, “The Perfect Couple.” The casting announcement has A list stars even I have heard of: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber and Dakota Fanning.
The book takes place on Nantucket, but times being what they are, Chatham provides the seaside look without island prices.
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Film crews had taken over the parking lot of the Northport Plaza, just off Route 28.
It wasn’t hard to find. Several “security” members were my first point of contact as I asked where the press could stand. One of the buildings had been painted up with a Nantucket Town Seal and sign reading Nantucket Police, a nice touch for photos, a real Chatham Police officer on detail work in front of the building.
Soon after arrival the familiar yell, “rolling!” was announced across the lot. I worked my perimeter for about an hour, no sign of Nicole, Liev or Dakota.
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One of the first movie productions I photographed was on Martha’s Vineyard, “Sabrina.”
It was another April filming, in 1995, featuring Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond. It wasn’t hard to find the stars that day; they were riding bikes right down the middle of the street in Vineyard Haven, filming a scene, over and over, an easy photograph to make. Ford even wandered over to the crowd during a break and signed autographs and talked with us briefly, different times indeed.
Over the years, the Cape has been a popular spot for Hollywood east, and the newspaper has had good access, even interviews with the stars. One of our reporters, Robin Lord, even got a walk-on part in the film “Chatham” an April filming in Chatham in 2007. As a photographer, my job is to find the stars, but I am much more interested watching lighting crews working their magic with klieg lights and scrims, constantly tweaking the light.
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Back to 2023, having found no celebrities, I took a ride out to the Eastward Point section of North Chatham, a second filming location.
A guard shack and barricades stopped this paparazzi in his tracks. I got a quick image of a film crew van heading into the closed off area, followed by a brief chat with the amiable guard, wondering why I was photographing him.
I assume at some point Nicole Kidman will arrive and be whisked through this checkpoint. In a perfect world, I will be in the limo also, chatting her up with exclusive photo coverage for Cape Cod Times readers.
Who knows? Filming continues until the end of June, stay tuned.
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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Kidman, Fanning or Schreiber photo hunt, and 1995 Harrison Ford movie
