Real Drama Behind White Lotus, Stranger Things & Other Emmy Locations
(CNN) -- What do a pub in London, a 113-year-old apartment building in New York City, a former mental hospital in Atlanta, a luxury resort in Hawaii, a sprawling office complex in New Jersey, and a mausoleum in one of the South's largest cemeteries have in common?On some of this year’s top Emmy-nominated shows, these places play roles as important as any character.
And off-screen, they all have their own dramatic stories.Here’s a glimpse at the real-life locations behind some of TV’s most popular places, and what we learned talking with some of the people who know them best. A luxury resort that found new life during a pandemic lockdownThe hit Hulu series Only Murders In The Building stars (from left) Martin Short, Steve Martin, and Selena Gomez.The resort in The White Lotus features numerous beachfront amenities, jaw-dropping views of Hawaii's natural beauty, and brightly colored rooms that reflect the personalities of the characters staying in them.
It’s a gorgeous destination, but the show’s protagonists quickly find trouble in paradise.What it is in real life: Four Seasons Resort Maui at WaileaThe backstory you haven’t heard: The coronavirus pandemic had virtually shut down tourism around the globe, and a state order forced the Four Seasons Resort Maui and other Hawaii hotels to close their doors temporarily.
The normally fully booked resort was still closed when an HBO team asked about shooting The White Lotus there.“We took a leap of faith that this was the right thing to do at a really strange time, and it all worked out amazingly,” says Crissa Hiranaga, a spokeswoman for the resort.Suddenly having a large block of rooms reserved for the show and its production staff “was the best way to reopen the hotel, get.
