Where was ‘Jay Kelly’ filmed?
When the eponymous protagonist of Jay Kelly on Netflix embarks on a trip to Europe, the Tuscany region of Italy, which also happens to be the star’s destination, serves as the landmark for a simultaneous return trip to look back on.
The fictional star, portrayed by George Clooney, is headed towards Tuscany to receive an award at a film festival. But his journey comes to haunt him at every curb, reminding him of the life he has lived away from the cameras or the life he has missed out on.
Most of those curbs are during the train voyage he takes, passing through the picturesque Italian countryside while on his way to the film festival in Tuscany. This journey was always crucial for the materialisation of Jay Kelly, and according to Baumbach, it was always part of his plan. “I had the idea of a movie star and a train and Italy,” he said to Netflix.
The General Director of the Italian State Railways Foundation, Luigi Cantamessa, further explained that the kind of journey Kelly embarks on also has a long-lasting legacy of its own. “Travelling on a heritage train in Italy is a unique experience because it combines three essential dimensions: the landscape, the history, and the emotion of the journey itself. The historic railway lines pass through areas where nature, art, and local traditions come together in a truly unparalleled way,” he says.
“This style of travel fits perfectly with the philosophy of slow tourism: a mindful, sustainable way of travelling that prioritises the quality of time, the gradual discovery of places, and connection with the territory. Travelling on our historic trains, therefore, means not only moving from one place to another but experiencing a cultural and sensory journey that highlights the full richness of Italy’s heritage.”
According to Netflix, most of Jay Kelly’s filming took place on location in the Italian town of Pienza, where the film festival is held in the movie. The dinner scene was shot at the Argiano winery near the village of Montalcino. As co-writers, Baumbach and Emily Mortimer put it, the setting was crucial to their creative process. “I knew Tuscany a little bit. Emily knew it better than I did. What she was imagining was a lot clearer and more accurate than whatever I had in my head,” the Oscar-nominated director said.
While Baumbach was right at home in Italy, what also helped the making of Jay Kelly is the fact that Clooney also considers it his home. He reportedly has a property in Lake Como, and in the last few years, he has invested in the Italian way of life to prepare for his character in the Netflix movie. “Italians often work to live. That’s why I stayed there, and why I continued to go back: that there’s a celebration of life, in a way that we could learn from in the States,” the actor said.
“For the Fondazione FS, it was truly an honour to see one of our trains included in Jay Kelly,” Cantamessa said. Although not every scene within the train was shot on location, the crew travelled the extra mile to recreate the train interiors in sets. “From the very beginning, we recognised the importance of the initiative and therefore made it possible to recreate the interiors of the ETR 252 Arlecchino in the London Studios.” However, he additionally clarified that the sets built for Jay Kelly aren’t exact replicas of the original interiors.
While Jay Kelly is a story of introspection and self-discovery, filming in Italy is what sets the tonality. Not only does it fill the movie with a sense of spirituality, but when compared to LA, where the story actually commences, the sensory contrasts become more palpable. “As Ron says in the movie, ‘Death is so surprising, particularly in LA.’ I think LA is a kind of place where you feel like, ‘I might actually live forever.’ In Italy, it’s hard to feel that way,” Baumbach explained.