Naman Shrestha
With Will Gluck steering the wheel of this romantic comedy ride, ‘Anyone But You’ chronicles the tale of two rivals who join hands for mutual benefit. Bea and Ben are long-standing rivals who naturally haven’t kept in touch since their graduation. However, an intervention by destiny leads them to stumble upon each other millions of miles away from home in the Land Down Under. The unexpected meet-up at Bea’s sister and her partner’s destination wedding reignites Bea and Ben’s rivalry, but instead of enabling it to cause mayhem, the two agree upon a truce that’ll benefit them. Throughout the course of the celebration of Claudia and Halle’s union, Bea and Ben decide to pretend to be lovers who are deeply smitten with each other.
While Bea suggests using Ben to ward off her family’s efforts to get her back with her ex, Jonathan, Ben makes use of the arrangement to garner the attention of his crush, Margaret, by making her envious of their pairing. While putting on a show for the enthusiastic family members and guests, Bea and Ben start spending more time together, giving rise to the question — will the fake display of love eventually make space for something real? Based on Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing,’ the edgy movie is powered by the intense chemistry between Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell and the quirky take on the typical enemies-to-lovers motif. In addition to that, the stunning visuals, ranging from the beach to the mesmerizing cityscape, are enough to make the audience wonder whether the movie was filmed on location or elsewhere.
Where Was Anyone But You Shot?
‘Anyone But You’ was filmed entirely in Australia, especially in New South Wales. As per reports, principal photography for the Sydney Sweeney starrer got underway in late February 2023 and wrapped up in a couple of months, in April of the same year. Just a month or so prior to its theatrical release, a few reshoots were taken in November 2023. So, let’s navigate the picturesque locales where the romance between Bea and Ben blossoms!
New South Wales, Australia
Since the majority of the story unfolds in Australia, the production team of ‘Anyone But You’ decided to set up camp in Australia’s New South Wales, which is situated on the east coast of the nation. In particular, the city of Sydney served as the primary production location with the filming unit making the most of its scenic coastline and popular landmarks to fill the background. Moreover, the Harbour City even doubled as America in the early scenes of the movie.
Made for Sydney, ‘Anyone But You’ features some of the widely recognized attractions without having to frame them out, including the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The production team reportedly spent seven nights cruising and shooting all over the world-famous Sydney Harbour. During the shooting schedule, Sydney Sweeney and the rest of the crew members were also spotted lensing some important scenes in and around the Jones Bay Wharf at Piers 19-21, 26/32 Pirrama Road in Pyrmont, Sydney, and the Sydney Cricket Ground on Driver Avenue in the Moore Park suburb of Sydney.
Bea and Ben are seen wandering the streets and parks of different parts of the city of Sydney, including the heritage laneways of The Rocks and Marks Park in the beachside suburb of Tamarama in Sydney. The beach scenes were supposedly taped on the popular Bondi Beach while you can also spot the Queen Victoria Building at 455 George Street in Sydney. As per the filmmaker’s claims, one of the best parts of shooting was when they spent 10 days in Palm Beach, taping prominent scenes. Furthermore, Double Bay, Surry Hills, and Barangaroo are a few other Sydney sites that feature in ‘Anyone But You.’
The filming unit also traveled some 25 miles north of Sydney to Pittwater to tape additional portions for the rom-com film. As for the interior scenes involving the beach house, they were shot in a property in Terrey Hills. In an interview with Time Out, Will Gluck explained how difficult shooting the yacht scene was. He revealed, “Shooting the scene was a little bit more difficult than we thought.”
Gluck further stated, “Because we had to get all the superyachts to rearrange themselves to make way for our superyacht. Our location managers worked magic with the captains – and we were given one hour to film. And that is when it started raining. But through the magic of camera angles, VFX, and actors acting, it looked absolutely glorious. And looking back on it, it actually was.”
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