Each month, the StarNews looks back at one of the region’s influential and memorable film or TV productions, how it used the local landscape and the cultural mark it made.
Premiere date: Aug. 7, 2013
You are viewing: Where Was We’re The Millers Filmed
Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, Emma Roberts, Will Poulter, Nick Offerman, Kathryn Hahn, Molly Quinn, Ed Helms
Filming dates: July-September 2012
Synopsis: After a low-grade drug dealer (Sudeikis) is robbed of his latest stash, he’s forced to smuggle marijuana into the United States from Mexico to settle his debt to his supplier. But in order not to get caught, he recruits an exotic dancer (Aniston), a teenage petty thief (Roberts) and his teenager neighbor (Poulter) to pose as his fake family to seem more innocent. But when “the Millers” realize the drugs are smuggling are, themselves, stolen from a cartel, they race against danger in front of them and behind them to make it back to America in one piece.
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Tagline: “If anyone asks.”
Filming locations: Downtown Wilmington, EUE/Screen Gems Studios, Brunswick Forest (where they staged the county fair), downtown Port City Java, Cheetah Wilmington (formerly Pure Gold Wilmington), former City Limits Saloon in downtown, Burgaw, former Brunswick County Community Hospital
Fun facts:
– Director Rawson Marshall Thurber told the StarNews he researched the region before signing off on filming in Wilmington. But ultimately, he said it was another production’s commitment to the area that sold him. “I knew that they were shooting “Iron Man 3″ there, so I figured if it’s good enough for Robert Downey Jr., then it’s probably good enough for us. And it worked great. I was so happy to be in Wilmington.”
– British-born actor Poulter had never been to any Southern states before being cast in “We’re the Millers,” but was taken by the hospitality in Wilmington. “Wilmington has some interesting characters, particularly at night. It kind of transforms at nighttime. It’s a lovely little place,” he told the StarNews in 2013.
– The now-famous scene where Aniston and Roberts’ characters teach Poulter’s naive teen how to kiss earned the trio the coveted Best Kiss award at the MTV Movies Awards. The film was nominated for six awards at the 2014 ceremony, with Poulter also winning Breakthrough Performance.
– “We’re the Millers” shot for nearly 40 days in the Wilmington area.
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– The film was a huge critical and financial hit for producer New Line Cinema, earning more than $150 million at the United States box office on a $37 million budget.
– For the strip club scenes shot at what was then called Pure Gold Wilmington, the extra casting agency put a notice out on Facebook looking for patrons, bouncers and dancers with experience that read: “We need some attractive, fit girls to play strippers and cocktail waitresses, and any real ability to dance and use a pole is a PLUS!”
– The production staged a fair for the climatic scenes at Brunswick Forest in Leland, complete with face painting, stilt walkers, clowns and rides for children, who were among the hundreds cast as extras.
– The film didn’t hit theaters for more than a year after it began filming in Wilmington.
– The film was first conceived in 2002 and remained in development for a decade before filming began.
Learn more:
You can find out more about Wilmington’s film history by liking the WilmOnFilm Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WilmOnFilm. You can also sign up for the free weekly Port City Life Newsletter.
Source: https://t-tees.com
Category: WHERE
