Where was The Idea of You filmed? Shooting locations explored

Prime Video is bringing us a film adaptation of Robinne Lee's novel The Idea of You. The movie follows the unexpected romance between a 40-year-old single mother, Solene, and a much younger pop singer, Hayes Campbell, who is a boy band member with rising superstar status.

With the age gap and career challenges that threaten to set a limit to their relationship, the two characters navigate together a very unusual romance.

After making its world premiere at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, on March 16, 2024, The Idea of You, which was shot in Georgia, made its debut on the Amazon streaming platform on May 2, 2024. It is now available for streaming here.

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Filming locations explored for The Idea of You

Directed by Michael Showalter and produced by Cathy Schulman and Gabrielle Union, the movie, starring Anne Hathway as Solene and Nicholas Galitzine as Hayes, is portrayed as being shot in Los Angeles, New York, and a number of European locations. However, the rom-com was primarily filmed in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia. Here are the two filming locations explored in detail.

Atlanta, Georgia

The capital city of Georgia, Atlanta, was the primary filming location where the key sequences for The Idea of You were shot. Atlanta is home to iconic landmarks like the Georgia Aquarium and a National Historic Landmark, and the cast and crew filmed mostly exterior scenes here, capturing the vibrant energy and cultural landscape. Moreover, Solene’s Silver Lake, California, residence was actually a home in Atlanta's Virginia–Highland neighborhood. Production designer Amy Williams said about the house:

"We found it on Airbnb and selected it for the exterior look, but the interior wasn't right. It was all white and gray without many of the original or interesting details. We spent two months renovating it to bring back the historic age and personality. We completely redid the kitchen with custom wooden cabinets, Craftsman-era tiles, and added window panes. We painted the walls to complement Hathaway's complexion. All of the paint colors were tested against her skin tone on camera prior to selection."

Moreover, Williams said that since the filming was happening in December 2022 and the trees were bare with no leaves on them, which was an important element to make it appear as if the home was in Los Angeles.

"We added all of the plants, the bougainvillea climbing up her house, desert plants in the neighbor's lawn, and fake green leaves to all of the surrounding trees. We did our best to honor the foliage one would find in Silver Lake."

Luckily, for those who are interested in getting the feel of living in Solène’s home for an experience, the property is available for rent on Airbnb.

Another key filming location of The Idea of You was the Atlanta Motor Speedway parking grounds. The place was used to recreate the iconic Coachella, where our romantic duo met and hit off. The production team recreated the entire scale and vibrancy of the music festival here.

Another strikingly exclusive location was the vacation home in the south of France, where Hayes, Solene, and the rest of the band went for a holiday. The property is not actually located in the south of France. It is a beach club-inspired 2,000-square-foot pool house in Atlanta that has been designed by the famous Charlotte Lucas.

The property is located in the lap of nature with a fancy pool that is outfitted with red-and-white cabana-stripe fabrics. This gives the appearance that it belongs to the French Riviera. The pool house also holds a sunroom with arched windows and trellis-inspired wallcovering. There is a kitchen with marble surfaces and teal furnishings. The bedroom is created in a soft peach-and-white tone with a flowering tree mural wallpaper.

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Savannah, Georgia

Apart from Atlanta, The Idea of You also features scenes that were shot in Savannah, the oldest city in Georgia. Complete with historical sites, delectable cuisine, and a stunning view, the city added more gravity and authenticity to the movie and enhanced the cinematic visuals.

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Catch The Idea of You, starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine, on Prime Video now.