Reese Witherspoon, who spent a good bit of time in Atlanta last year filming “Devil’s Knot,” has returned for a new project, “The Good Lie.” The movie about a headstrong woman who assists a Sudanese refugee has filmed in a number of area locations, including the Athens Kouzzina restaurant in Sugarloaf Mills mall in Lawrenceville.
“It was really neat,” said restaurant owner George Vasilos. Location scouts approached him a couple of weeks ago, and within days, cameras were rolling. In addition to his restaurant, filming took place in the mall and outside in the parking lot.
“They used some of my staff, some of my servers (as extras),” Vasilos said. “That was kind of neat of them. Reese came in, the director introduced her. She was very nice.”
He opened the restaurant in 2006, and this is his first time entering showbiz.
“It was good to see what goes into it, the retakes, the sound and temperature. We had to unplug everything and turn off the air conditioning” so there would be no machinery sound picked up by the microphones. “It was a big deal out here. The production company was open and approachable. They were very friendly and receptive to ideas.”
Witherspoon has been spotted at Bocado and Yeah Burger since she got to town. (The “Legally Blonde” star is now a brunette.) Keep your eyes peeled for future sightings as she likely won’t be here all that long this time. After a few weeks of filming here, the project will move to Africa. Both “Devil’s Knot” and “The Good Lie” are expected to be released this year.
‘Anchorman’ update
“Anchorman 2” has been filming in Atlanta for weeks, this week in Phoenix Park on Georgia Avenue, in the Summerhill neighborhood close to the Turner Field. The Will Ferrell comedy also starring Dave Koechner, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, Christina Applegate, Kristen Wiig, James Marsden and Harrison Ford has filmed in Buckhead and Midtown, too. Interested in a star sighting? Head over to Antico. Rudd, Koechner and Carell all have been by for Giovanni Di Palma’s famous pie.
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