Naman Shrestha
Created by Alejandro and Iván Stoessel, Disney+’s ‘It Was Always Me’ is a Colombian mystery-drama series that centers upon a journalism student named Lupe whose life turns upside down when she hears about her father passing away. She decides to travel all the way to Colombia to attend his funeral, but upon her arrival, she realizes that his death was not an accident and there is more to it than meets the eye. Meanwhile, she crosses paths with her father’s assistant Noah, with whom she enters a music contest to get more information or clues about the death.
Featuring impressive performances from a bunch of talented actors, including Karol Sevilla, Pipe Bueno, Christian Tappan, José Julián Gaviria, and Simón Savi, the suspenseful show, originally titled ‘Siempre Fui Yo,’ highlights some realistic themes and elements, such as mysterious a murder case and deceitful people, while the interesting backdrops complement the plot, sparking questions regarding the authenticity of the tale as well as that of the locations.
It Was Always Me Filming Locations
‘It Was Always Me’ is filmed primarily in Colombia, specifically Bogotá, Cartagena, Girardot, and Honda. Some portion of the shooting also takes place on Isla Barú. The production for the inaugural iteration of the series commenced in March 2021 and concluded in a couple of months, in May 2021. As for the sophomore round, its principal photography got underway in August 2022. So, let’s take a closer look at all the filming sites of the Disney+ production!
Bogotá, Colombia
A major chunk of ‘It Was Always Me’ is filmed in the capital city of Colombia — Bogotá. The production team reportedly sets up camp in different streets and neighborhoods of the city to tape important scenes against suitable backdrops. Thus, it is highly likely that you might come across some local landmarks and attractions in the series, including La Candelaria, the Museum of Gold, the Monserrate Sanctuary, and the National Museum of Colombia.
Other Locations in Colombia
For shooting purposes, the filming unit of ‘It Was Always Me’ also travels to other locations across Colombia, including the city of Cartagena AKA Cartagena de Indias. During the shooting schedule of the second season, the cast and crew members of the mystery show were spotted by locals in the town and municipality of Girardota, which is situated in Colombia’s Antioquia Department. Moreover, the town and municipality of Honda also serves as one of the filming sites of the Karol Sevilla starrer.
Isla Barú
Additional portions of ‘It Was Always Me’ are also recorded on the vibrant and picturesque Isla Barú or Isla de Barú, a former peninsula south of Cartagena that was cut off from the mainland by the Canal del Dique. The production team seemingly utilized the Playa Blanca for shooting a few beach scenes in the series.
Is It Was Always Me a True Story?
No, ‘It Was Always Me’ not based on a true story. The idea for the plot took birth in the minds of the creators — Alejandro and Iván Stoessel — whose vision was further put to pen by some talented screenwriters, including Marina Efron, Carmen López-Areal, Constanza Novick, Andres Salgado, Ignacio Campón, Luciana Porchietto, and Andrés Rapoport. Thus, they combined their writing prowesses to come up with an enthralling yet realistic screenplay for the Disney+ series.
Apart from the predominant theme of murder, the themes of family, betrayal, and love are also touched upon through different characters and storylines. What makes many of you wonder about its authenticity is that such instances are not unheard of in real life and have been covered by many movies and TV shows as well, such as the 2019 murder-mystery comedy movie ‘Knives Out.’ Helmed by Rian Johnson, it revolves around the sudden death of a popular crime novelist named Harlan Thrombey, who died under mysterious circumstances.
While the plot is driven forward by the introduction of Detective Benoit Blanc, what really dominates it is the family dynamics of the Thrombeys, each of whom had a motive to murder Harlan. The suspense and family drama are a couple of many links between the two movies in question. Thus, taking into consideration everything mentioned above, we can come to the conclusion that despite having some true-to-life elements, ‘It Was Always Me’ is not rooted in reality.
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