Naman Shrestha
Based on the best-selling eponymous novel by Colleen Hoover, ‘Verity’ is an erotic mystery thriller movie directed by Michael Showalter. When Verity Crawford, a renowned author known for her thriller novel series, meets with an unfortunate, mysterious accident, she is no longer in a condition to finish writing the remaining books in her popular series. So, her husband, Jeremy Crawford, offers Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer on the verge of financial ruin, the job of her lifetime — ghostwrite the remaining novels for Verity.
As part of the job, Lowen temporarily moves into the secluded yet luxurious Crawford estate. While working on the books, she comes across another unfinished manuscript that appears to contain a series of unsettling autobiographical notes left by Verity. Now, Lowen finds herself in a complicated situation, trying to find the truth about Verity while getting attracted to Jeremy. The psychological thriller stars Dakota Johnson, Anne Hathaway, and Josh Hartnett, and is primarily set in the isolated, lavish Crawford property, which seems to harbor dark family secrets about its residents.
Verity Filming Locations
‘Verity’ was originally scheduled to begin filming in Los Angeles, California, but due to the January 2025 Southern California wildfires, the production was moved to Armonk and New York City in the State of New York. Principal photography then reportedly commenced in February 2025 and continued for about two months before concluding in early April of the same year.
Armonk, New York
The luxurious house where the Crawfords reside, in ‘Verity,’ is actually a property called Beckoning Path, located in the hamlet and census-designated place of Armonk in Westchester County. Originally designed by Danish designer Jens Quistgaard, the mid-century modern estate now serves as a wellness retreat center. Spread across a 27-acre lakefront, its bold designs and saw-tooth roof were the primary reasons the makers of ‘Verity’ chose it as the primary production location. In a conversation with Wallpaper, Emmy Award-winning production designer Amy Williams shared some insights into decking up the spot as the home of the titular character. “The idea behind the house was that it was a shipwrecked boat, crashing into a landscape. That also really worked for our story,” she mentioned.
The roof can be interpreted as fangs or teeth due to its jagged, zigzag structure, while also appearing as inverted V’s. Meanwhile, its secluded setting allowed the makers to build atmospheric tension smoothly with dim lighting and slow camera pans. Since the original piece lacks a detailed description of the house, Williams collaborated with the set decorator, Kendall Anderson, and used her creativity to “come back with visual references and renderings that you can walk through to see how the space works.” Williams added, “We love mid-century. We love brutalism, and we got to bring a lot of that to the house. Kendall and I were all up on Pinterest and 1stDibs.”
New York City, New York
A major portion of the filming of ‘Verity’ was conducted in New York City in New York. Several spots in the metropolis served as shooting spots for the psychological thriller movie. Some scenes were taped around Pershing Square, the iconic bistro located at 90 East 42nd Street, outside the south entrance of Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. In March 2025, filming took place on the corner of 41st Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The cast and crew also visited the neighborhood of Glendale in Queens, particularly the production facility of Broadway Stages. They utilized the amenities of the complex to paint the visual aesthetic of the disturbing and twisted events that transpire in the life of Lowen Ashleigh after being hired as a ghostwriter for Verity Crawford.
According to reports, a soundstage of Broadway Stages hosted the creation of several recurring spaces in the film, such as Verity’s bedroom, bathroom and office, shaped after the Beckoning Path. It not only ensured there was enough space for the cast and crew to move around the set but also enabled a smooth and efficient shooting process. Amy Williams carefully curated the design to align with the original vision of Quistgaard. She did so by incorporating timber built-ins, natural textures, and exposed rocks on the set. To add a feminine touch to the atmosphere of the titular character’s study, the crew built a womb-like structure with a hexagonal skylight, shag carpet, and a sunken conversation pit. “It makes no sense to have a conversation pit in someone’s office, but it was a really fun one to design,” Williams said. “I got to fantasize that I was Frank Lloyd Wright for a minute.”
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