Travel Tips

7 Movies & TV Shows You Never Knew Shared the Same Location

Locations in this article:  Buffalo, NY Moscow, Russia

Today, Peter Greenberg broadcasts live from Turtle Bay Resort on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because the resort is a filming hot spot for some of Hollywood’s most famous TV series and films. Here are some of the most popular movies and TV shows that have showcased this corner of Oahu. Find out more below and click here to find out who Peter will interview.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

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Forgetting Sarah Marshall, the most obvious of the bunch, not only filmed at Turtle Bay Resort but also referred to the resort by name throughout the film. The comedy shot all over the hotel, including guest rooms and check-in, and, like the others, used the beautiful landscape as the backdrop for a variety of scenes. Reportedly, some of the employees and visitors even got to participate in filming, such as the resort’s Director of Operations, Tom Cross, who plays the minister as well as the rabbi in all of the movie’s wedding scenes.

Lost

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Lost opted to use a more obscure part of the Turtle Bay Resort grounds to create the hit show’s isolated jungle scenes. The production crew used the Banyan Tree, located in the resort’s forest, frequently throughout filming, most memorably during season 1 when Walt took refuge in the trees against a Polar Bear. Much of the cast and crew stayed at the resort during filming as well.

Soul Surfer

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Based on the true story of Bethany Hamilton’s notorious shark attack in Kauai and later return to surfing, Soul Surfer filmed many of its scenes at Turtle Bay. For the pivotal scene where Bethany faces her fears and returns to the water, the crew used the Turtle Bay Resort to recreate the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in Phuket, Thailand. Filmmakers recruited hundreds of Thai extras across Hawaii and even featured animals native to Thailand, such as the water buffalo, to bring authenticity to the moment.

Magnum, P.I.

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Tom Selleck starred as Thomas Magnum, an Oahu-based private investigator, in this long-running TV series, which filmed two episodes at the Turtle Bay grounds (known at the time as the Kuilima Hyatt Resort Hotel). In the episode “From Moscow to Maui,” the North Shore was featured as a temporary residential area for members of the Soviet Union. Today, fans can take The Chopper, the show’s seemingly indestructible helicopter, for a spin and tour Hawaii from the sky.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

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Pirates of the Caribbean IV used the same Banyan tree of Turtle Bay Resort’s forests as Lost, but Pirates took filming one step further by repurposing the area. The production crew reportedly built an enormous lagoon set surrounding the Banyan tree area, which they later filmed as the “Mermaid’s Lair.” The set reportedly took two months to create and only a few days to film.

Hunger Games: Catching Fire

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While much of Hunger Games: Catching Fire was filmed on the mainland United States, film scouts needed a very specific body of water that was clear and calm. This was for the crucial scene where all of the competitors first appear for the Quarter Quell, which led them to choose Kawela Bay, a pristine body of water on the North Shore of Oahu. As Kawela Bay is only a 30-minute walk from Turtle Bay Resort, much of the cast and crew stayed there during filming. Actress Jennifer Lawrence was spotted poolside at Turtle Bay Resort between filming, while actor Woody Harrelson braved Hawaii’s swells.

The Hills

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The popular MTV reality series went to the North Shore during Season 5. The guys, staying at Turtle Bay Resort, found their weekend of surfing and bromance unexpectedly interrupted when the girls flew in from LA to crash their trip. The girls managed to cause a little drama as usual, but—let’s be honest—the beautiful scenery stole the show.

For more information about destinations in Hawaii, check out:

By Brittany Malooly for PeterGreenberg.com