By Sharon Oliver
Contributing Writer
NANTUCKET – Netflix’s newest murder mystery “The Perfect Couple” stars 57-year-old Nicole Kidman as a wealthy Nantucket novelist whose family is rocked when a body is found in the harbor on the morning of her son’s lavish wedding. As luck would have it, everyone in the wedding party becomes a suspect. The six-episode limited series also stars Liev Schreiber, Michael Beach, Dakota Fanning and Nick Searcy and was filmed primarily on the Cape in Chatham with some scenes shot in Nantucket.
Photo/Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore
Best-selling novel
Based on best-selling author Elin Hilderbrand’s 2018 novel of the same name, Amelia Sacks (Eve Hewson) is set to marry Benji (Billy Howle), the son of Greer and Tag Winbury (Kidman and Schreiber, respectively). Although she disapproves of the nuptials, Greer spares no expense to ensure this will be the island’s social event of the season. However, something this horrific brings judgment on the playground of the rich as portrayed in one scene where a man in a police interrogation room gives a frank assessment of Greer and her family: “They’re rich. Kill someone and get away with it rich.”
Putting murder aside, viewers also get the chance to soak up the picturesque Cape Cod scenery in this whodunit. In an interview with Boston.com, Hilderbrand said, “Because the majority of ‘The Perfect Couple’ was filmed on location in Chatham, the production will have an authentic Cape and island feel. The second unit shot extensively on Nantucket itself, and the script includes inside references to places like Bartlett’s Farm. Hollywood legend Fred North took overhead footage in his helicopter, and he later messaged me and said it was one of the most beautiful places he’s ever shot.”
She added that it is her hope that Hollywood will open up to making more Nantucket and Cape Cod-set “beach read” adaptations for the big and small screen.
Other books optioned for the screen
The author does have a few more Nantucket-set novels that have been optioned for on-screen treatments.
Photo/Wikimedia Commons/Kenneth C. Zirkel
The Five-Star Weekend – After tragedy strikes, food blogger Hollis Shaw gathers four friends from different stages in her life to spend an unforgettable weekend on Nantucket.
Swan Song – When rich strangers move to the island, social mayhem—and a possible murder follow. Can Nantucket’s best locals save the day, and their way of life?
Of course, the Cape and its surrounding islands are no strangers to providing perfect locales for Hollywood productions. The most famous of them all perhaps being Steven Spielberg’s 1975 blockbuster “Jaws,” which was filmed almost exclusively on Martha’s Vineyard. Here are a few fun facts about “Jaws.”
- Initially, the location scout wanted to check out Nantucket for filming, but a storm forced his ferry to detour to Martha’s Vineyard.
- Lee Fierro, who played the distraught Mrs. Kintner who gave the famous slap, lived on Martha’s Vineyard where she was the artistic director of the Island Theatre Workshop and mentored hundreds of aspiring actors.
- Another Martha’s Vineyard local, Craig Kingsbury, provided one of the biggest scares in the movie—his disembodied head pops out of the boat.
Season 10 of “American Horror Story” as well as Starz network’s crime drama “Hightown” were filmed in Provincetown. Locals will likely see more of their quaint seaside towns featured on small and big screens.
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