The film was actually shot two years ago in Canada, which is the home country of writer/director Megan Park. Many films and television shows are filmed in Canada simply because it's cheaper to do so than in America. However, this production did not just take advantage of the cost-savings. They also utilized as much of the idyllic wilderness Canada has to offer in Ontario from August to October 2022. For the Canadian native Park, this was the perfect place for My Old Ass to capture Elliot's journey of self-discovery.
Muskoka Lakes, Ontario, Canada
The Cast Got To Jet-Ski To Set Sometimes
The majority of My Old Ass was shot against the gorgeous natural backdrop of Muskoka Lakes in Ontario, Canada, where writer/director Megan Park actually spent her summers going to camp. "Sometimes it takes you a little longer to drive to get to the location then to simply jet-ski across the lake," Park said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "So, there were a few moments where we got to jet-ski to work." The nostalgia of getting to film in the same location where Park had so many childhood memories actually helped her to come up with the concept of the film.
Sometimes it takes you a little longer to drive to get to the location then to simply jet-ski across the lake. So, there were a few moments where we got to jet-ski to work.
Stella also grew up in Canada and told THR she has a deep connection to lake life, with a boat of her own. "When I was auditioning, I sent like me doing a boat tour to the casting and like production...because I have a little crappy boat as well and so does Elliot." This lent Stella's performance an ideal lived-in quality. Viewers can feel how comfortable Stella is on the water in the movie, laughing with her best friends before she heads off to college. That lived-in connection to the setting is an important way the film establishes those grounded elements.
Johnston's Cranberry Marsh, Bala, Canada
Elliot Is Late For A Shift At The Cranberry Farm In Favor Of Her Crush
Future Elliot is a PhD candidate, a far cry away from her teenage self working on her family's cranberry farm. To get the essence of a real fruit farm, the crew shot these scenes on the real-life Johnston's Cranberry Marsh. Just like the generations of Elliot's family that have operated the fictional farm, the real-life farm is three generations deep in owners and is a popular spot for tourists to explore and buy delicious fresh fruit. This quietly lends Elliot's story a more authentic element that couldn't be recreated through the use of standard sets.
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My Old Ass Cast & Character Guide
My Old Ass is a unique coming-of-age story that stars two great actors as the same person, but the film's cast is where it really shines.
In one scene, a careless Elliot continues her rendezvous with Chelsea, making her late for a shift at her family's Cranberry farm. It's not a surprising act for the selfish teenager. The cranberry farm and Elliot's complicated connection to it represent the young woman trying to break away from her home life so she can start her adult one at college in Toronto, a path that will seemingly take her through difficult times ahead that Plaza's older Elliot warns her about.
Lake Joseph, Sterling Point, Canada
Elliot Reconnects With Her Family Here
A big plot point of the movie is Elliot's relationships with her family and how much she wants to drift away from them in order to become her own person. However, older Elliot keeps pushing her younger self to seek out her family rather than run from them. when Elliot does so, it is at their lake-side cottage. These scenes were shot in Sterling Point, with gorgeous views of Lake Joseph. Instead of shooting the family's home on a sound stage like most interior shots are for house scenes, Park chose once again to shoot on location.
Instead of shooting the family's home on a sound stage like most interior shots are for house scenes, Park chose once again to shoot on location.
Elliot ditches her new crush Chad in favor of spending time with her brothers at home and even has a tear-jerking conversation with her mother outside. Getting a glimpse of Elliot's life at home makes it easier for the viewers to understand why she loves lake life so much, especially given the natural beauty of the area. It also makes for a perfect background against which Elliot can realize how much she loves her family.
Port Carling, Ontario, Canada
The Downtown Area Was The Only Town Life Shown In The Movie
Although the bulk of the movie is shot on or by the lake, the cast did have to venture to experience the bustling nature of small town life in Port Carling in Canada. This area is renowned for its great dining and shopping experiences. Park set several scenes in the downtown spot, including the opening of the movie when Elliot gives into her unrequited love for her crush Chelsea at a coffee shop. This makes the town an ideal stand-in for the kind of life Elliot wants to pursue on her own.
Another essential scene of the movie shot in Port Carling took place at a lakeside restaurant when Elliot and one of her best friends, Ro, have an emotional conversation. Having some of these more "town life" scenes helps viewers remember that even though the teens have their escape from reality on the lake, the real world is always still waiting for them with its unpredictability. My Old Ass is a sweet comedy that tugs at the heartstrings, and one of the ways it subtle achieves that effect is by utilizing the beautiful backdrop of Muskoka Lakes.
Source:The Hollywood Reporter
My Old Ass is a 2024 comedy film written and directed by Megan Park. When Elliot Labrant has a strange encounter with her future self, warning her to avoid falling in love. Despite her best efforts, however, love remains on the table when the boy her future self warns her about enters the picture in the present day.
Director Megan Park
Release Date January 20, 2024
Studio(s) Indian Paintbrush , LuckyChap Entertainment , Scythia Films
Writers Megan Park
Runtime 88 Minutes
English (US) ·