It’s one thing to want to film extensively in Washington, D.C., but quite another to make the plan work in tough economic times.
“State of Play” director Kevin Macdonald was the catalyst behind the five weeks of filming that brought many parts of Washington to film. Long before the movie was shot, he made several trips to D.C. and noted various areas, such as the Rosslyn Metro station, were “stunningly beautiful.” At that point, he knew he had to film “State of Play” on location.
“From my point of view, I think the movies in the old days existed in a vacuum of glamour and detachment from real life,” he said. “That has changed, and people want to see things nearer to the world, things they recognize.”
The award-winning director is well-known for such realism. His films, including “One Day in September,” about the murder of the Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, won kudos for many elements — including an interview with the last known survivor of the attacks. So it’s likely no surprise Macdonald wanted to capture the beauty and history of the area in this film. That, of course, includes Ben’s Chili Bowl, where cast and crew not only filmed, but ate several times, soaking up the ambience of the 50-year-old family-owned restaurant that is a routine stop for NBA star Allen Iverson, publicist Raymone Bain and others, not to mention the eatery where Bill Cosby courted his then-future wife Camille Hanks.
D.C. native Carol Flaisher, the location manager who oversaw this and many other D.C.-based films, said the extended time the cast and crew spent in the area likely will translate to one of the more realistic Hollywood depictions of Washington.
“We are a unique city, like Paris,” she said, noting the lengthy shoot allowed the crew additional access. “We had enough time to prep and work with the city and around schedules. That [allowed them] to capture more of the city than most movies do.”
Although many film crews shoot at Metro stations, they often head to Baltimore to film those trains. But “State of Play” not only used the Rosslyn, Forest Glen and Glenmont stations, but actual Metro cars, said Metro Public Affairs Coordinator Taryn McNeil, who appears as an extra in the film and also hung out with Ben Affleck while he was in town for his role as a congressman.
But beyond McNeil’s brushes with fame, which include Nicole Kidman and Angelina Jolie, who also acted in movies filmed here, her work with filmmakers has made her a savvy filmgoer.
“They take hours and hours and do the scenes over and over … to get different camera angles,” she said. “Now when I see the movie, I see it in segments. I can’t just watch it. It’s really fun.”
