WilmOnFilm Flashback: ’Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood’ - StarNewsOnline.com

WilmOnFilm Flashback: ’Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood’ - StarNewsOnline.com

The 2002 comedic family drama starring Sandra Bullock and Ashley Judd shot in and around Wilmington

Each month, the StarNews looks back at one of the region’s influential and memorable film or TV productions, how it used the local landscape and the cultural mark it made.

Release date: June 7, 2002

Director: Callie Khouri

Cast: Sandra Bullock, Ashley Judd, Ellen Burstyn, James Garner, Maggie Smith,

Filming dates: April 2001

Synopsis: New York City playwright Siddalee (Bullock) promotes her new play by giving an interview and talking about her unhappy childhood. When her mother, Vivi (Burstyn), reads the story, she angrily cuts her out of the family, declaring war on her equally upset daughter. To attempt to mend fences between the women, Vivi’s friends and fellow members of their Ya-Ya sisterhood (led by Smith) drug and kidnap Sidda to bring her back home to Louisiana to confront her mother’s secrets, both past and present, once and for all.

Tagline: “Mothers. Daughters. The never-ending story of good vs. evil.”

Filming locations: St. James Episcopal Church, Greenfield Lake Park, Orton Plantation, Dee’s Drug Store in Burgaw, Buckner Hill House in Faison, Kure Beach, Wrightsville Beach

Fun facts:

– Based on Rebecca Wells' novel “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” and a prequel collection of short stories, “Little Altars Everywhere.”

– The film brought Bullock back to North Carolina, having previously filmed “28 Days” in the Wilmington area and attended East Carolina University in Greenville.

– When the film shot in Wilmington, it was a big moment for female-fronted films. It shot concurrent with the Mandy Moore-starring “A Walk to Remember,” which was the first Nicholas Sparks adaptation to shoot locally.

– Bullock and Judd previously starred in 1996’s “A Time to Kill,” but never shared any scenes. In this film, Judd plays Bullock’s mother, in scenes set decades to Bullock’s.

– Bette Midler was an executive producer on the film.

Learn more:

You can find out more about Wilmington’s film history by liking the WilmOnFilm Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WilmOnFilm. You can also sign up for the free weekly Port City Life Newsletter.

2019-12-21 11:05:46Z
https://www.starnewsonline.com/lifestyle/20191221/wilmonfilm-flashback-divine-secrets-of-ya-ya-sisterhood

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