cameron diaz movies
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 Chapter 5 - Filming Locations
IN HER SHOES began filming in Los Angeles before moving to Philadelphia and Delray Beach, Florida. Production Designer Dan Davis, Director of Photography Terry Stacey and Costume Designer Sophie de Rakoff were key collaborators in translating Curtis Hanson’s vision onto film.
“Curtis is the most involved director I’ve worked with,” says de Rakoff. “Everything he does is utterly referenced by the point of view of the character. He comes to every fitting, and he approves all the photographs. It’s a very interesting process. The wardrobe is a way of enhancing the character and helping to tell the story.”
With Maggie’s wardrobe, the objective was to play up the character’s inherent sexuality with clothes that were in keeping with a non-existent clothes budget. Given Maggie’s peripatetic existence, it was also important that her entire wardrobe fit in the giant garbage bag that became her suitcase. De Rakoff set out to find stylish, inexpensive pieces that could be mixed, matched and converted into alluring combinations. The recurring theme in Maggie’s wardrobe is limited funds supplemented by an unlimited sense of style, proving that a lack of income does not necessarily lead to a fashion challenged lifestyle.
Rose was the opposite: unlimited funds with a limited sense of personal style. “Maggie and Rose have different strengths and weaknesses,” observes de Rakoff. “I think most women will identify either with one or the other of them because they represent two different ends of the fashion spectrum.”
Then, of course, there is the extensive shoe collection. “The shoe closet is like another character,” laughs the designer. “Both girls probably have ten pairs each which they repeat in different environments. They wear everything from flip flops to Jimmy Choo, Nine West, Stuart Weitzman, Chanel and Christian LaCroix.”
Two of the key sets in the movie, Rose’s apartment and Ella’s villa, were brought to life by Production Designer Dan Davis on a sound stage in Los Angeles. “Although the plan for Rose’s home isn’t based on a specific apartment,” says Davis, “it is typical of the square footage and scale of apartments in the building we shot for the exterior. We matched a window in Rose’s living room with one in the Philadelphia building and many of the interior details are very similar.”
Jennifer Weiner was astounded by the set’s authenticity when she visited Los Angeles and observed the filming of a scene featuring Toni Collette. “It was amazing,” the writer remembers. “I walked onto a sound stage and there was an exact replica of an apartment building I’ve been to in Philadelphia. Every detail was correct, right down to the brass mail slot.”
Other locations were found in Florida, where Ella Hirsch has retired to an “active seniors” community. At Abbey Delray South, a sprawling retirement community in Delray Beach, the filmmakers found Ella’s home, a stand alone villa on the periphery of the community’s spacious grounds. As Dan Davis notes, “The facility had all the elements we were looking for – villas, swimming pools, pathways, dining room, hallways – as well as the perfect look. It had character.” Davis went on to recreate a fictional interior for the villa on a soundstage in Los Angeles. But the exteriors and community spaces seen in the movie were all shot on location.
Many of the residents who live in Abbey Delray South were cast as extras in the film. Prior to their arrival, the production videotaped over 400 seniors ranging in age from 65 to 92 years old. Ultimately, over 300 of the residents were used as extras during shooting.
This was also true at Briney Breezes, another retirement community situated on Boynton Beach, were a tea dance scene was staged. Many of Briney’s residents were thrilled to have the opportunity to use their dancing skills side by side with Shirley MacLaine. Hanson believes that the golden aged actors – many of whom were new to performing – enhanced the reality of these scenes.
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