Donovan’s Pub at 57-24 Roosevelt Ave. (Photo courtesy of Donovan’s Pub)
Nov. 6, 2017 by Nathaly Pesantez
Donovan’s Pub, the longtime Woodside staple, will close on Nov. 7 as film crews move in to shoot scenes from a romantic-comedy movie with an all-star cast including Jennifer Lopez, Leah Remini, Milo Ventimiglia, and Vanessa Hudgens.
The film, called “Second Act” but operating under the project name “240”, will film at Donovan’s Pub, located at 57-24 Roosevelt Ave., according to Dan Connor, the pub’s owner.
The film crew is set to arrive at the pub at 6 a.m. on Nov. 7 to begin hanging Christmas-themed decorations for a scene in the film, set to be released in 2018, according to IMDb.
“It’s going to be somewhat of a wild scene from what I understand,” Connor said. “They have a lot of extras.” The sheer number of people involved in the scene required the film crew to find a a second site, about a block away, to hold the crew, Connor said.
The actors will film inside Donovan’s Pub sometime around 2 p.m., and will move to film some scenes outside the pub once the sun sets. Prior to the pub, there will be some filming elsewhere in Woodside at around 11 a.m.
Connor said he expects the film crew to wrap up with the pub at around 1 a.m. on Nov. 8, and will open the pub along with his partner, James Jacobson, at their normal operating time of 11 a.m. that day.
Connor and Jacobson were approached a couple of months ago by location scouts to use the pub, standing at the corner of 58th Street and Roosevelt Avenue since 1966.
“It’s pretty cool,” Connor said. “It’s by far the biggest film and biggest stars to come in and film,” he added, noting that the pub has had its fair share of famous visitors over the years.
Connor and Jacobson will be on hand at the filming site to help out and makes sure everything runs smoothly with their pub.
“Second Act” centers on Maya, played by Lopez, who “reinvents her life and her life-story and shows Madison Avenue what street smarts can do,” according to the film description on IMDb. Remini plays Lopez’s best friend, while Ventimiglia stars as Lopez’s long-time boyfriend, according to Variety. Peter Segal is listed at the film’s director.
The film’s cast and crew were spotted around Queens filming on location days ago.
The news was first reported by the Queens Courier.
