WELLINGTON, Ohio — The glitz and glamor of Hollywood converged on Wellington on Monday as production for a new Netflix film took over several blocks of the city’s quaint downtown area. Despite frequent downpours of torrential rain, dozens of curious onlookers stood outside the barriers to get a glimpse of the production, which features actor Adam Driver and actress Greta Gerwig in leading roles.
Titled "White Noise," the Netflix drama is an adaptation of a novel by the same name authored by Don DeLillo in 1985. One of the major plot elements of the film is said to be a massive train accident that spreads chemical waste all over town. Principal photography on the film began last month. This is the second major motion picture to be partially filmed in Wellington in as many years. “The Minuteman” starring Liam Neeson was also filmed in Wellington.
“We got to watch that one. We were really close to that one. We were right here and [Neeson] was right in the street,” said Brittani Norton. “We were a little bit closer to the action for that one.”
The central part of Wellington was transformed into a film set over the past couple of weeks. As part of the transformation, crews built a facade of a movie theatre, re-painted several storefronts and created large murals.
Several cars were also brought to Wellington in order to create the rest of the 1980s-era setting.
Netflix producers scouted locations in the area back in May. Photos surfaced in June of Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig in front of Addie’s Antiques on Herrick Street.
Greta Gerwig & Adam Driver spotted in Wellington, Ohio prepping to film White Noise / Wheat Germ -cr: Al Flores pic.twitter.com/3o37oQdfZC
— The Adam Driver Files (@AdamDriverFiles) June 23, 2021
Downtown businesses that were forced to close to accommodate the film set are being paid by Netflix from $500 to $1000 per day as part of an ‘inconvenience fee.”
The Lorain County Fair said anyone coming to the fairground by way of Routes 15 and 58 will be detoured around the center of town.
Elizabeth and Matthew Balas drove from Amherst to get a glimpse at the production. Being film buffs and huge fans of Adam Driver, the two also signed up to be extras in the film.
“I’m excited to come down here and look at the set, the theming, what kind of cars they have. It’s all really cool to me,” Matthew Balas said.
Elizabeth Balas said this is just the beginning of a long string of major motion pictures being filmed in Northeast Ohio.
“I’m very glad and I hope they bring more of film industry into Ohio,” Balas said. “COVID shut everything down but now they are going to bring it back. I hope they’re gonna do more things over here. I’m excited.”
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