Naman Shrestha
Written and directed by Sean Baker (known for ‘The Florida Project‘ and ‘Tangerine‘), ‘Anora‘ is a romantic comedy-drama movie that centers upon the titular sex worker from Brooklyn whose entire life turns upside down when her path crosses with Vanya Zakharov, the son of a Russian billionaire. After he hires her services for several weeks, the two spend a lot of time together before Vanya impulsively asks for her hand in marriage. Anora agrees without giving it a second thought, and they get married in Vegas.
When the news of their sudden union reaches Vanya’s parents, they send a couple of henchmen to knock some sense into the newly married couple and get the marriage annulled. However, upon reaching the mansion, they learn that Vanya has vanished, which sets off a chase through the bustling streets of the city. Led by the bold and stellar performances of Mikey Madison and Mark Eydelshteyn, the film is also brought to life by the setting and locations, which also serve as additional characters in the hilarious tale.
Anora Filming Locations
The filming for ‘Anora’ was primarily carried out in New York State, across various parts of New York City. A minor portion was also shot on location in Las Vegas, Nevada. A few months before the shooting began, the makers explored several potential filming sites in NYC, especially the neighborhood where most of the scenes were shot. Finally, the principal photography for the comedy film got underway in early 2023 and lasted for more than 37 days, concluding in the spring of the same year.
New York City, New York
Most of the pivotal sequences of ‘Anora’ were lensed in the Big Apple, especially in and around Brooklyn. First and foremost, the scenes set in the Vanya Zakharov mansion were taped inside a real-life mansion located at 2458 National Drive in Brooklyn, once owned by an oligarch named Vasily Anisimov. A simple Google search for “the biggest and best mansion in Brighton Beach” led Sean Baker to the property. As they set up camp at the house for a couple of weeks in early 2023, they utilized various aspects of the property, including its heavy metal doors, bathrooms, and mirrored walls.
While a round sitting area in the mansion was treated as Vanya’s party spot, the media room doubled as the office where important papers of the family were kept. Since the property had several different spaces, including five bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms, an indoor parking space, a meditation room, and more, many of them were not even used by the makers. As for shooting the interior and exterior scenes of Anora’s house, the production team took over the property at 156 Brighton 11th Street in Brooklyn. With only five crew members on site, a few important portions were also recorded inside Tatiana Grill at 3145 Brighton 4th Street in Brooklyn.
Several indoor scenes were also shot on location in and around Parkview Diner at 2939 Cropsey Avenue and HQ KONY Gentlemen’s Club at 552 West 38th Street. Within the New York City borough of Brooklyn, the cast and crew members were spotted at various other locations, including Brightwater Towers on Surf Avenue, Coney Island, Midwood, and Sheepshead Bay. When it came to shooting the intimate scenes, Sean Baker and his wife would demonstrate different positions to the actors.
Talking about recording those portions, Mikey Madison told Variety, “Those scenes were fun to shoot and all of the lap dance scenes were very fun to shoot as well because the environment on set was very comfortable. After a little bit, I was almost too comfortable in those situations, especially walking around the club. All the women are naked, and I was too, and it was normal.” The role of an intimacy coordinator was played by the director and his wife. Before doing so, Mikey was provided with the option of having a coordinator, but she was fine without one. She opened up, “As I’d already created a really comfortable relationship with both of them for about a year, I felt that that would be where I was most comfortable with and it ended up working so perfectly.”
Las Vegas, Nevada
Anora and Vanya can also be seen traveling to Las Vegas, mainly to get married. Those scenes were reportedly lensed on location in Sin City itself. The Little White Wedding Chapel at 1301 South Las Vegas Boulevard is where the two make their relationship official. As for the wedding annulment scene, it was filmed at 1200 South 4th Street in Las Vegas. According to reports, the filming unit of ‘Anora’ also took over the Palms Casino Resort at 4321 West Flamingo Road to tape the casino scenes.
Read More: Anora Ending, Explained: Why Does Ani Cry in the End?
