Filmed at Filoli
What if there were a way to enjoy Filoli from the comfort of your couch at home? From musicals to mini-series, from thrillers to rom-coms, Filoli has hosted them all.
Few are aware of Filoli’s key role on the big screen in the past fifty years. After the Roth family donated the property to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1975, the estate became a popular filming destination. Some quintessential Bay Area movies and TV shows were filmed throughout the House and Garden. Despite the many productions’ temporary alterations, a keen eye can spot the classic Filoli vignettes behind Hollywood stars and starlets.
In the 1978 classic Heaven Can Wait, Warren Beatty and Julie Christie’s characters fall in love while walking through Filoli’s Walled Garden. The first production to film at Filoli, Heaven Can Wait set the stage for many more to follow.
In the 1980s, Filoli played the starring role as the Carrington mansion in the TV show Dynasty; here, Linda Evans floats down the aisle during her character’s wedding to Blake Carrington in the Ballroom.
Julia Roberts stars in the 1991 drama Dying Young. Here she is, approaching the House, walking through the prop wrought-iron gates added for the movie.
Filoli showcases its versatility throughout the 1993 book adaptation The Joy Luck Club. Amy Tan’s novel leaps from the page and finds a perfect setting in the House and Garden. In one of the many scenes filmed at Filoli, the Ballroom stands in for an elegant Shanghai party location.
Filoli was booked and busy in 1997. While hosting Michael Douglas and Sean Penn for the thriller The Game, the House was covered in black light graffiti. After its dramatic transformation, the scenic art staff restored the beauty to what we know and love.
In George of the Jungle, Brendan Fraser (or maybe his stunt double) swings from a House balcony, destroying a cake as he lands in front of the Portico.
In 1998, Robin Williams starred in What Dreams May Come. He plays a man who embarks on an afterlife adventure to reunite with his wife. He embraces her on the grass in the Yew Allée.
In The Wedding Planner, Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey walk through Filoli’s Chartres Garden. The estate was staged for the movie as a resort and wedding venue. Since its filming in 2001, Filoli has been a popular venue for private events, hosting weddings that would make J-Lo proud.
Unexpectedly, we also hosted Rent in 2005. A story about New Yorkers, you might not envision the setting to be here in California, but Idina Menzel shows off her voice — and the Ballroom’s acoustics — as she sings “Take Me or Leave Me.”
You might have caught us recently as the backdrop for the premiere of Season 27 of Antiques Roadshow in 2023. Among the appraised objects are an original Apple computer and a baseball signed by Babe Ruth.
A bonus of being a popular filming location is seeing Filoli in unexpected ways. While productions fabricated the House and Gardens to match the stories told on screen, after filming, they left Filoli in better conditions than they found it, working closely with Filoli staff to restore and preserve parts of the House. The crew of The Game painted the cabinets in the historic Kitchen back to their original color for us and used prop carpets to protect the flooring. You might say these were some of Filoli’s earliest restoration efforts!
Next time you’re searching channels looking for something to watch, come back to this filmography and visit us on the big screen!