Montclair, NJ – The town of Montclair was starstruck last spring when the star-studded cast of “Maybe I Do” began filming in Montclair.
It’s not every day that Diane Keaton, William H. Macy, Susan Sarandon, Richard Gere, Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey turn up in your town.
Jennifer Snyder, owner of the Little Daisy Bake Shop, had a front row seat to all the action. Snyder lives across from Montclair’s Edgemont Park. It started with a knock on her front door.
A location scout came to ask if they could shoot a movie in her home. Commercials had been filmed in the house before, but never a movie.
“Then they told us who was going be in the movie,” says Snyder, who was shocked and excited to learn it would not be one or two, but six stars.
Snyder and her family moved out of their home for a month, totally turning it over to the production (they were able to come in a couple of times to grab a few things, says Snyder).
“There was a lot going on,” says Snyder of the filming, calling it “organized chaos,” but adds that her “neighbors were amazingly gracious and understanding” and it was a lot of fun for everyone to watch from their backyards.
The shutters and front door of Snyder’s home were changed from black to blue for the film and the production crew changed out some of the art work, but most of her house looked the same.
“Now when I see the trailer, I’m like ‘there’s Richard Gere in my kitchen,'” says Snyder, who first met Gere and Macy when they came for a walkthrough with the director before production started.
“Everybody was so, so nice,” says Snyder, who started dropping off treats for the cast and crew from Little Daisy during filming.
Then the celebrity sightings around town started happening. Macy dropped by Fascino. Susan Sarandon dropped by Little Daisy, as did Emma Roberts, who “stayed for a while, talked to the staff and could not have been nicer.”
Snyder loved the experience and was happy not only that her house was chosen, but also because of what the filming did for Montclair.
“It was great for the town. Stars were showing up at restaurants and other shops, including Parcel. All the sightings were fun and I only heard people say good things about Montclair. Hopefully, more movies will get filmed here,” she adds.
Another big thrill was meeting Diane Keaton and getting a picture taken with her at The George Hotel, which is featured in the film along with the MC Hotel and another Montclair home.
In addition to recognizing some familiar places in Montclair, but might also spy some familiar faces when you watch “Maybe I Do.”
Erika Insana, guest relations manager at The George, had the thrill of being an extra in the film’s wedding scene, which you can see in the trailer’s opening moments.
“The director was very kind to all of us and offered the opportunity to be extras in the film which was super fun,” says Insana, who loved watching Luke Bracey do the stunt over and over again where he jumps on a table and launches himself across a ballroom to catch the bouquet.
Insana says another pivotal scene in the movie between Bracey and Emma Roberts was filmed for three days at the hotel in The George Suite, otherwise known as The Cody.
“The crew was awesome and they were able to make the space through set design look more like an apartment,” she says.
Celebrities have sought out The George before, including Steven Spielberg, who stayed during the filming of West Side Story. To make sure all guests feel at home in the cozy, luxury boutique hotel, especially if they have to be away from their home for weeks at a time, The George includes special amenities like wine service in the evenings by the fire in the library and a not-so-secret candy closet.
This weekend, banana chocolate chip scones — a “Maybe I Do” cast favorite — are back at Little Daisy Bake Shop. Snyder is also providing some favorite movie treats for a sold-out Montclair Film members-only opening night reception at Cinema505 Friday before the screening at The Clairidge (Little Daisy is the official bakery of the Montclair Film Festival; find their brownie bites and chocolate chip cookies at the concession stand.)
Don’t miss Montclair get its closeup on the big screen in “Maybe I Do.” Get tickets starting Saturday at The Clairidge!
