The California filming locations of Olivia Wilde movie ‘Don’t Worry Darling’
Olivia Wilde’s latest release, Don’t Worry Darling, has become an unlikely media sensation becoming more famous for its behind-the-scenes antics rather than for the quality of the movie itself. The mysterious drama, starring Florence Pugh, Harry Styles and Chris Pine, has become the target of curious controversy in recent months after several fragile relationships between the crew were exposed to the media.
Looking back at its many months of production, it’s clear that the making of Don’t Worry Darling wasn’t exactly plain-sailing, with the director clashing with various cast members, among other issues. The drama hit a high point at the end of summer 2022, when the film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, bringing together a cast and crew of stars who didn’t exactly gel on the red carpet.
With that being said, it’s easy to forget about the film beneath the drama, with the brand new Olivia Wilde movie being full of promise, considering her previous success with 2019s Booksmart. Wipe away the controversy, and Wilde’s latest looks like a highly enjoyable Stepford Wives-inspired romp, where science fiction mystery resides in one of the most spectacular locations of all.
Visit the Don’t Worry Darling filming locations:
The Kaufmann Desert House, Palm Springs, California
For a film that follows the intricacies of class politics, there is truly no better location than the Californian city of Palm Springs, which makes modern-day life look like a walk in the park with luscious sun-soaked views and towering palm trees. Though of all the locations in the film, one house owned by Chris Pine’s sinister Frank in the movie has its own slice of modern history.
Built in 1946 by the Austrian-American architect Richard Neutra, the house is famous for its stunning contemporary structure, using a combination of glass, metal and Utah stone to construct its mighty size. With the utopian community of California all living in pristine homes, Wilde also chose to use Azul Circus in the Canyon View Estates for the exterior shots of the houses of the upper-class clique.
Canyon View Estates, Palm Springs
Speaking of the Canyon View Estates, this is the location of Jack (Styles) and Alice’s (Pugh) home in the movie, living in a condo in Azul Circus. In real life, this estate was built in the 1960s by Dan Palmer and William Krisel, creating a cluster of stunning villas that form a remarkable modern utopia, including a shared swimming pool, spa and luxurious green space.
The symmetrical upmarket area couldn’t be better for the location of Wilde’s film, which aims to dissect and lampoon the spoils of such living.
Volcano House, Newberry Springs, Mojave Desert
Adding to the mysticism of the community, Wilde also used the Volcano House of Newberry Springs in the western Mojave Desert of Southern California for several truly extraordinary sequences. Distinctive for its white dome sitting on top of a 150-foot cinder cone, the cosmic-looking structure adds a bit of absurdist glamour to the emptiness of the desert landscape.
Once owned by the late TV host Huell Howser, the home was designed by Harold James Bissner Jr and stands as an iconic landmark whilst also blending seamlessly with the surrounding area. Inspired by the layout of a visitors centre at a nuclear power plant, Bissner Jr’s design works perfectly to reflect the inspiring mood of the landscape whilst unknowingly working to heighten the themes of Wilde’s incredible new film.
Palm Springs City Hall
Featured, if only for a brief moment, in Wilde’s new movie is Palm Springs City Hall, a landmark on East Tahquitz Canyon Way. Constructed between 1952 and 1957, the unusual retro-looking sight was designed by Swiss architect Albert Frey and is built perfectly into the landscape, with Palm Trees growing through the aqua blue and yellow paintwork construction that sings the utopian praises of the Californian location.
With this, and the previous locations considered, the director couldn’t have chosen a better location than the curiously flawless flats of Palm Springs.
Troy Dry Lake, Mojave Desert
What utopian city is complete without a glorious body of water or, indeed, a moat forged to keep undesirables out of the luxury of the carefully constructed modern society? Even though Troy Lake has dried up, quite how Wilde is intending to use the once flowing lake in the Mojave Desert remains to be known, but the location is sure to complete the heavenly vista of Wilde’s fictional utopia, providing an authentic view of the wilderness or the borders in which the residents remain trapped.
A remnant lake of Lake Manix, the location is extraordinary, particularly when considering that it’s set in the backdrop of rolling desert hills. Indeed, the strange, largely barren lake could be a powerful symbol in Wilde’s contemporary sci-fi that pokes and questions the structures of upper-class ‘perfection’. With this, and the previous locations considered, the director couldn’t have chosen a better location than the curiously flawless flats of Palm Springs.
