WEB-EXCLUSIVE: Orange County has had its share of publicity through reality TV shows like "The Real Housewives of Orange County," but many of us are probably unaware that it has also made appearances in numerous big name movies over the past decade.
BY Kristine Fuangtharnthip
May 24 - 2010 5:20 PM
In 'The Perfect Storm' (2000), Dana Point Harbor became Gloucester Harbor, Massachusetts.
The opening of Iron Man 2 marked the start of the 2010 summer movie blockbuster season. These big-budget flicks take us on tours of the world... or do they?
For decades, Orange County has served as a stand-in for anonymous suburbs, far-off locales, fictional franchises – and has even played itself – in some of Hollywood’s biggest films. Maybe while re-watching some of your favorite movies, you’ll find out that there’s a little piece of Hollywood in your own backyard.
To find out more about filming locations around the world, check out books like Tony Reeves’s The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations (titanbooks.com, $19.95) or Museyon’s Film + Travel series (museyon.com, $15.95 each). Online, find filming locations for more movies on the Internet Movie Database (imdb.com), the Movie Locations Guide (movielocationsguide.com) or The Movie Map (themoviemap.com).
Here’s a selection of Orange County’s cameos from the past 10 years.
Aliso Viejo Elizabethtown (2005) – Soka University as portions of the Mercury shoe company, Seattle
Anaheim Matchstick Men (2003) – Anaheim Convention Center as Los Angeles International Airport Rendition (2007) – Anaheim Convention Center as Chicago O’Hare International Airport
Buena Park Clerks II (2006) – An abandoned Burger King (demolished in March 2006) as Mooby’s, a fast food restaurant in Leonardo, New Jersey Knocked Up (2007) – Knott’s Berry Farm as itself National Treasure (2004) – Knott’s Berry Farm’s replica of Independence Hall as the real Independence Hall, Philadelphia
Photo By H. Lorren Au, Jr./The Orange County Register
In 'The Perfect Storm' (2000), Dana Point Harbor became Gloucester Harbor, Massachusetts.
Dana Point The Perfect Storm (2000) – Dana Point Harbor as Gloucester Harbor, Massachusetts
Irvine Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) – Nikken Corporation as Globo Gym Iron Man (2008) – Nikken Corporation as Stark Industries Ocean's Eleven (2001) – University of California, Irvine Gillespie Neuroscience Research Facility as the California Institute of Advanced Science You, Me and Dupree (2006) – Nikken Corporation as Thompson Land Development
Laguna Beach Mamma Mia! (2008) – Pacific Ocean waterfront as various Kalokairi beaches
Orange Accepted (2006) – Chapman University as Harmon College, Ohio Frailty (2001) – Old Towne Orange as various locations in a small Texas town The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001) – Old Towne Orange’s Plaza Square as Santa Rosa, California
Santa Ana Catch Me If You Can (2006) – Old Orange County Courthouse as a Louisiana courtroom Legally Blonde (2001) – Old Orange County Courthouse as the Superior Court of Suffolk County, Massachusetts The Ring (2002) – The Orange County Register newsroom as the Seattle Post-Intelligencer newsroom Spider-Man 2 (2004) – The Orange County Register printing press as the Daily Bugle printing press
Seal Beach American Pie 2 (2001) – Main Street and Seal Beach Pier as Grand Harbor, Michigan
Photo By Jebb Harris/The Orange County Register
The former Marine Corps Air Station Tustin was seen in both 'Pearl Harbor' (2001) and 'Star Trek' (2009).
Tustin Pearl Harbor (2001) – Marine Corps Air Station Tustin as facilities of the United States Army Air Corps Star Trek (2009) – Marine Corps Air Station Tustin’s blimp hangars as the Starfleet shuttle hangar
Westminster The Fast and the Furious (2001) – Little Saigon’s Cultural Court as the headquarters of the rival street racers
Yorba Linda Frost/Nixon (2008) – Nixon Library as itself
