Colleen Hoover’s beloved novel, It Ends With Us, has transitioned from page to screen, bringing the poignant story of Lily Bloom to life. While the narrative is deeply rooted in the bustling city of Boston, fans might be surprised to learn the answer to the question, “Where Was It Ends With Us Filmed?” The movie adaptation, starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, primarily set its stage not in Massachusetts, but in the neighboring state of New Jersey. This article delves into the captivating filming locations of It Ends With Us, revealing how the production team skillfully transformed the Garden State into the backdrop for this emotional drama.
Why New Jersey Stepped in for Boston
Despite Boston being integral to the essence of It Ends With Us, the filmmakers opted for New Jersey as their primary filming location. According to location manager Jeff Brown, in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, this decision was largely driven by financial considerations. However, the team was committed to capturing the spirit of New England, ensuring the movie still resonated with the book’s setting.
Brown explained, “It was primarily a financial decision,” but emphasized the dedication to maintaining the intended atmosphere. Director Justin Baldoni, who also starred as Ryle, had a strong vision for the film’s aesthetic, and New Jersey offered surprising versatility. Brown noted, “Justin had really fallen in love with a lot of the looks of Jersey as Boston and we were really trying to keep his vision of what he had seen alive.”
The focus shifted from geographical accuracy to emotional authenticity. As Brown articulated, “It’s about the people more than the location… it was finding places that Justin and Blake would be comfortable performing these scenes. Their faces do not necessarily need to say Boston, they say Ryle and Lily, and that’s more important than the specific of some street.” This perspective highlights the priority of performance and character portrayal over strict adherence to location, allowing New Jersey to effectively become the cinematic Boston for It Ends With Us.
Iconic Locations Brought to Life in New Jersey and Beyond
While New Jersey provided the majority of the settings, some key locations required venturing further afield. Let’s explore the specific places that became the backdrop for Lily and Ryle’s complex story.
Lily’s Childhood Home in Plainfield, New Jersey
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Lily’s childhood home, a significant location that appears in flashbacks and present-day visits, was brought to life in Plainfield, New Jersey. Location manager Jeff Brown sought a house that could represent Lily’s younger years and her adult returns. They discovered a century-old residence in Plainfield, perfectly suited to portray Maine within the movie.
Brown highlighted the appeal of Plainfield’s older streets with their grand, well-preserved houses, stating, “Plainfield has a couple of streets that [are] very old. The [houses] are all very big and very nice. And the homeowners had preserved a lot of the original moldings.” These authentic details, difficult to replicate artificially, were invaluable for creating a believable setting. The art department further enhanced the location, adding elements that reflected the characters of Lily and her mother, particularly within Lily’s room, to deepen the narrative.
Ryle’s Loft Apartment in Weehawken, New Jersey
Ryle’s sophisticated loft apartment, a crucial setting for many pivotal scenes, was unexpectedly created within a Veris Residential building in Weehawken, New Jersey. Jeff Brown described the challenge of finding the right space, “The loft was something that was a very tricky, difficult thing to find.” Instead of locating an actual loft, the production team ingeniously constructed Ryle’s entire apartment within a communal area of a rental building. “Basically, the team created his loft within a common space of a rental building. So all of that stuff, the bedroom and the kitchen, all that is fabricated. None of it was real.”
This fabricated loft provided the necessary space and control for filming. Brown explained the practical requirements: “If you’re shooting in a location for over two weeks, you can’t have a really small location. You’re going to have to have something that’s pretty big because there’s how many camera angles that we have to allow.” Importantly, director Justin Baldoni preferred practical locations over studio sets, ensuring all locations, including Ryle’s loft, had a tangible and realistic feel.
Lily’s Flower Shop in Hoboken, New Jersey
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Perhaps one of the most recognizable locations from both the book and the movie is Lily’s flower shop. This vibrant and central setting was filmed in a vacant storefront in Hoboken, New Jersey. Brown emphasized the intention to capture the “distinct old-city vibe” shared by both Hoboken and Boston.
He elaborated on the historical connection, “Other cities don’t quite have the Revolutionary War as part of their history. So the fact that these cities in both Jersey and in Massachusetts, they go back that old, that’s something that I think plays into the story very much.” This historical depth contributed to the authenticity of the setting. The flower shop truly came alive through collaboration with the art department and local florists. Brown noted, “There’s a very specific vibe to what she’s doing in the shop. The art department created the evolution of the shop through the set dressing and through the props. It’s a very tactile kind of location and then where they’re rebuilding this within an old space, it’s neat that they could pull something off like that.” The meticulous set design and props transformed the empty space into a thriving flower shop integral to Lily’s journey.
The Rooftop Where Lily and Ryle Meet in Los Angeles, California
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In a departure from New Jersey, the iconic rooftop scene where Lily and Ryle first encounter each other was filmed in Los Angeles. Initially, the plan was to use the rooftop of the building housing Ryle’s loft in New Jersey. However, weather conditions forced a change of plans.
Brown recounted, “When we were doing the filming, it was January in New Jersey and we had had a pretty cold winter. So trying to do dramatic scenes on a freezing rooftop on the Hudson River, it’s going to be really difficult for Justin and Blake.” To ensure the comfort and performance quality of the actors, “An executive decision was made, when we were doing some of the prep for this round of filming that the East Coast was going to be too frigid for the filming, so they brought that to Los Angeles.”
Director Justin Baldoni had a specific visual inspiration for this pivotal scene, referencing the rooftop ambiance from the movie Her. Brown mentioned, “Justin liked that vibe of the rooftop from that and was trying to find something like it. [The location] had the kind of vibes he was going for. It’s a beautiful movie, so we were trying to capture that sensibility.” Los Angeles provided a more controllable and comfortable environment to film this crucial romantic encounter.
Lily and Ryle’s Big Kiss on Newark Avenue, Jersey City
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The memorable scene of Lily and Ryle’s first kiss unfolds on Newark Avenue in Jersey City. This commercial street provided the perfect romantic backdrop, especially with some festive adjustments. Brown detailed, “It’s a commercial stretch and we shot after Christmas, so we worked with them to take down some of the Christmas decorations, but leave up the string lights because our director of photography really responded to those as a texture in the background, especially when you have the romantic scene of the first kiss.”
These string lights added an element of “visual fireworks,” enhancing the emotional intensity of the scene. Brown further explained, “We really needed those types of visual fireworks to show what is going on to the characters inside. It helps the mood of the piece, as well, that that’s a very romantic street.” Newark Avenue, with its inherent charm and carefully curated lighting, became the ideal location for this significant romantic moment.
Atlas’ Restaurant, Root (South House) on Newark Avenue, Jersey City
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Atlas’ restaurant, Root, a pivotal location in Lily’s life, is actually a real establishment called South House, located on Newark Avenue in Jersey City, the same street as Lily and Ryle’s kiss scene. This fine dining restaurant, known for its Southern cuisine and rustic ambiance, served as both the interior and exterior setting for Atlas’ restaurant. Brown confirmed, “The interior and exterior of Atlas’ restaurant was filmed at the location.” Using a real, functioning restaurant added another layer of authenticity to the movie’s settings.
The Farmer’s Market Reunion at Van Vorst Park, Jersey City
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The poignant final scene, where Lily and Atlas reconnect at a farmer’s market, was filmed at Van Vorst Park in Jersey City, conveniently close to Atlas’ restaurant location. Brown described the park, “It’s called Van Vorst Park and it’s a public park that’s in a very old section of Jersey City.”
Securing Van Vorst Park as a filming location was a fortunate event, as Brown explained, “They get approached for filming quite a bit and I don’t think they allow a lot of film shoots, so we were very, very fortunate to film there. That was another one where Justin just fell in love with Van Vorst Park and he was very much like, ‘This is where the farmer’s market is going to be.’” While Van Vorst Park does host a farmer’s market, the production staged their own in a slightly different area of the park to optimize lighting. Local vendors contributed to creating the market’s atmosphere. The park management further supported the filming by activating the fountain, even though it was winterized, adding a final touch of charm to this meaningful scene.
New Jersey: The Unsung Boston of “It Ends With Us”
While It Ends With Us is set against the backdrop of Boston, the film creatively utilized various locations primarily in New Jersey, with a brief detour to Los Angeles. From the historic streets of Plainfield and Hoboken to the urban vibe of Jersey City and the constructed realism of Weehawken, New Jersey effectively became the cinematic canvas for Lily and Ryle’s story. The filmmakers’ dedication to detail and atmosphere, combined with the versatility of New Jersey’s locations, ensured that even though the filming took place outside of Boston, the heart of Colleen Hoover’s narrative remained vibrantly on screen. Next time you watch It Ends With Us, you’ll know the secret behind where was it ends with us filmed and appreciate the Garden State’s impressive transformation into the world of Lily Bloom.
