Sometimes you can’t go a week around Westchester without passing by the familiar sight of buildings and neighborhoods blocked off with Klieg lights, boom mikes, dolly tracks, and cherry pickers. It’s not your mind playing tricks on you, as Westchester County has been a longtime core filming location for television and film productions.
In 2024, despite a global pandemic and two industry strikes (Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA unions) in the last couple of years, Westchester’s film production grossed $2 billion economically, creating 6,796 job opportunities and $656 million in wages. Regarding the county’s recognition and accolades, Westchester County Executive George Latimer enthuses, “Westchester County’s film industry is a true powerhouse that showcases the beauty of our region.”
Movies Filmed in Westchester
The 21st-century entertainment industry has certainly been kind to Westchester, attracting top talents like world-renowned director Steven Spielberg, who brought Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio to Westchester through the 2002 crime comedy-drama film Catch Me if You Can, which is based on the true story of Frank Abagnale Jr., who grew up in Westchester. Spielberg took both actors to Yonkers to film their respective scenes. For those who recall when Frank Abagnale (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his family lost their home and had to move into a smaller apartment, you might be surprised to learn that scene was shot in Yonkers down Buena Vista Avenue.
Prestige Laundromat at 151 Lake Avenue was used briefly during a film montage contrasting the different lives of Frank and Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks). During the scenes, Frank lives the high life without a care in the world while Carl does laundry. Spielberg and Hanks returned to Westchester in 2017 to film scenes for the political thriller The Post, costarring Meryl Streep (who had previously shot parts of The Manchurian Candidate in 2004 and It’s Complicated in 2009 in Westchester).
Iona University in New Rochelle, particularly the president’s house, was used for various scenes involving the residence of Streep’s character (Kay Graham). Hamilton Avenue and EJ Conroy Drive in White Plains were used in scenes that involved Bob Odenkirk (Ben Bagdikian) using a payphone to make calls.
Martin Scorsese, one the most prolific directors in the history of cinema, has used Westchester for multiple film productions, filming parts of The Departed (2006), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), and The Irishman (2019) across the county, bringing along the likes of Robert De Niro, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Leonardo DiCaprio, who was already familiar with filming in Westchester. The Departed filmed a brief nighttime scene at the county courthouse in White Plains.
The Wolf of Wall Street crew, meanwhile, used the old Ardsley Fire Department building, located at 701 Saw Mill River Road, in the film. In addition, they scouted out a local body shop, “Frank’s Best Auto Body”, which in the movie acted as the rundown property Jordan Belfort and his team occupied to get their business off the ground. The Harrison Meadows Country Club, located at 123 North Street in Harrison and formerly Willow Ridge Country Club, was used in a funny scene in which Belfort tries to get into his Lamborghini and loses control.
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On top of that, Scorsese utilized various Westchester locations when filming The Irishman, such as Lincoln Avenue in White Plains for Frank Sheeran’s (Robert De Niro) “Philadelphia” house and Smith Avenue in White Plains for the “Detroit” house to where Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino) is lured. The Great Hunger Memorial Park in Ardsley was used for the Texaco gas station, while the Ardsley Acres Hotel Court at 560 Saw Mill River Road was used for an overnight stay in the film. A wedding scene was filmed at the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church at 670 Yonkers Avenue in Yonkers.
Other notable 21st-century movies filmed in Westchester:
Finding Forrester (2000): Yonkers Stage. Starring Sean Connery, Rob Brown, and F. Murray Abraham
Meet the Parents (2000): Westchester County Airport. Starring Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro
A Beautiful Mind (2001): Lenoir Preserve, Yonkers. Starring Russell Crowe
Unfaithful (2002): Horowitz House on Rosedale Avenue, White Plains; Peekskill Metro-North Station; Dobbs Ferry Railroad Station. Starring Diane Lane and Richard Gere
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004): Cross County Parkway (Yonkers and Mt. Vernon). Starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet
Spider Man 2 (2004): Yonkers Stage. Starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and Alfred Molina
War of the Worlds (2005): Croton Point Park. Starring Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning, directed by Steven Spielberg
Hitch (2005): Yonkers Stage. Starring Will Smith, Eva Mendes, and Kevin James
The Good Shepherd (2006): New Rochelle, Tarrytown. Starring Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, and Robert De Niro
I Am Legend (2007): Yonkers Stage. Starring Will Smith
American Gangster (2007): Yonkers Stage. Starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, directed by Ridley Scott
Fair Game (2010): White Plains, Harrison. Starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013): Pace University, Pleasantville. Starring Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, and Justin Timberlake
The Girl on the Train (2016): Tarrytown, Station Road Tunnel, Irvington, Ardsley-on-the-Hudson Train Station, Irvington, Dobbs Ferry Post Office, Dobbs Ferry Fire Department, Warburton Avenue, Hastings-on-Hudson, Ardsley, Macy Avenue, White Plains. Starring Emily Blunt
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BlacKkKlansman (2018): Sing Sing Correctional Facility, Ossining. Starring John David Washington and Adam Driver, directed by Spike Lee
Hustlers (2019): Wykagyl Country Club, New Rochelle. Starring Jennifer Lopez
The Many Saints of Newark (2021): Park Hill, Yonkers. Starring Michael Gandolfini
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022): Chappaqua. Starring Amanda Steinberg, Maria Bakalova, and Pete Davidson
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Maestro (2023): Rye. Starring Bradley Cooper
No Hard Feelings (2023): Manursing Island Club, Rye. Starring Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman
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TV Shows Filmed in Westchester
Although movies got a head start, television came roaring up through Westchester in the 2010s, basically overtaking its big-screen counterpart in terms of highlighting Westchester as a prime filming location. Thanks to cable networks and streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and Max, Westchester County has received more attention through the eyes of entertainment than ever before. This year’s Emmy Awards see three television series earning a substantial number of nominations, with 32 nominations altogether.
Amazon Prime’s Fallout, a post-apocalyptic drama series based on the popular video game franchise, garnered an impressive 16 Emmy nominations across acting, production, and writing. The show filmed various scenes at the Verplank Quarry in Cortlandt, a 99-acre setting that creates a deserted appeal that captures the feeling of a post-apocalyptic world.
FX’s Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans is a mini-series based on the book Capote’s Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayals and a Swan Song for an Era by Laurence Leamer. This miniseries received 10 nominations for acting, directing, costumes, and casting. The C.V. Rich Mansion in White Plains, a hotspot for weddings in the area, was the main film base for several days.
HBO’s historical drama series The Gilded Age racked up six nominations, including one for Best Drama Series. This series was filmed across Westchester at locations such as Tarrytown’s Lyndhurst Mansion, Manhattanville College, and the Jacob Purdy House in White Plains.
NBC’s Law & Order: SVU, which is set in New York City, has filmed all over Westchester in its 25 years on television, using the exterior of the Westchester County Courthouse numerous times. In November 2022, it filmed an episode on Elk Avenue in New Rochelle, near New Rochelle High School, while March of that same year saw the show film scenes at Motel 6 in Elmsford with lead actors Mariska Hargitay (Olivia Benson) and Ice-T (Seargeant Fin).
HBO’s Succession, the critically acclaimed black comedy-drama, tells the story of the Roy family, headed by their father Logan Roy (Brian Cox), who owns Waystar RoyCo, a global media corporation. When his health starts to decline, a battle within the family breaks out over who will take over the dynasty and lead the family into the future. Succession is set in New York City, making Westchester a perfect place to film.
“A lot of times you want to tell a story set in New York and somewhere else,” says Scott Ferguson, the executive producer of Succession. “Westchester is one of the first places I look for a convincing ‘somewhere else.’” Westchester County Airport was used as a filming spot for staging other locations like Virginia, Croatia, Bosnia, and Herzegovina. The show also used various office buildings in White Plains and DDs Diner in Ossining.
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Other notable TV series filmed in Westchester:
American Horror Story (2011-present): Currently airs on FX, available to stream on Hulu and Disney+
Billions (2016-2023): Available to stream on Paramount+
Boardwalk Empire (2010-2014): Available to stream on Max
Bull (2016-2022): Available to stream on Paramount+
Daredevil: Born Again (Upcoming 2025): Will be streaming on Disney+
Elementary (2012-2019): Available to stream on Hulu
FBI (2018-present): Currently airs on CBS
FBI: Most Wanted (2020-present): Currently airs on CBS
Girls (2012-2017): Available to stream on Max
Gotham (2014-2019): Available to stream on Max
Homeland (2011-2020): Available to stream on Hulu
Jessica Jones (2015-2019): Available to stream on Disney+
Madam Secretary (2014-2019): Available to stream on Netflix
Mr. Robot (2015-2019): Available to stream on Prime Video
Orange Is the New Black (2013-2019): Available to stream on Netflix
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Ray Donovan (2013-2020): Available to stream on Paramount+
Severance (2022-present): Currently airing and available to stream on Apple TV
The Sinner (2017-2021): Available to stream on Netflix
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015-2019): Available to stream on Netflix
White House Plumbers (2023 miniseries): Available to stream on Max
The Watcher (2022-present): Currently airing and available to stream on Netflix
You (2018-present): Currently airing and available to stream on Netflix
The Watcher (2022): Available on Netflix
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