Hollywood stars’ visit town to shoot movie not welcomed by all
Hollywood stars including Ethan Hawke, Rose Byrne and Chris O’Dowd descended on Thanet.
Filming has been taking place in Broadstairs and Ramsgate for an adaptation of the 2009 book Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby.
Ethan Hawke, of Before Sunrise, Chris O’Dowd of Bridesmaids and The IT Crowd and Rose Byrne of Spy, have been seen on set.
Filming has now finished but many were eager to grab a selfie with the stars while they were in town.
Kent Surf School, run by Andy and Gemma Webb, played host to the stars.
Andy said: “The stars and crews came here to do their hair, make-up and keep warm. They were really friendly and said they loved Broadstairs, having not been here before.
“I did offer them surf lessons but sadly they couldn’t because of their busy schedule – it was such a shame.”
“They were lovely people and chatted away to us.”
While some locals said it was great for the town, others were concerned about parking issues and detriment to some local businesses.
One resident said: “I don’t think it’s doing local businesses any good.
“Parts of car parks and roads have been shut off for varying lengths of time.
“It must be annoying residents as they can’t park and means people can’t access local businesses as easily.”
But others hit back, saying it was great for the district as it is great publicity and is in fact helping local businesses, with hotels and guest houses being fully booked.
Juliet, Naked tells the story of Annie, the long-suffering girlfriend of obsessed music fan Duncan, and the object of his obsession, fictional singersongwriter Tucker Crowe.