AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) – Motorists slowed down to see the action as an extra scene for the HBO movie “Empire Falls” was shot in a mansion along one of the busiest streets in the capital.
Most of the film, based on Richard Russo’s book, was shot last year in Skowhegan and other Maine communities.
Additional footage not included in the first script was shot in St. Paul’s Center along Augusta’s State Street, location manager Lynn “Kip” Kippax said.
On Monday, a 120-person film crew and actors including Robin Wright Penn were on the grounds of the old mansion, which was built by former Gov. John Fremont Hill and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
In the movie, it’s the home of a wealthy widow named Francine Whiting, who is played by Joanne Woodward. She was not needed for the extra footage.
Kippax said the nearby Blaine House, home of Maine’s governors, was considered for the extra scenes, but the St. Paul’s Center was chosen because it “has a spooky element to it.”
The center is owned by Catholic Charities Maine and is used for social-services programs.
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