Filming for “Christmas in Conway” is now underway in Hollywood East, signaled by the construction of a 50-foot backyard Ferris wheel in Wilmington’s Forest Hills neighborhood.
The Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie, starring Mary-Louise Parker of “Weeds” fame, began filming in Wilmington earlier this week, with the Forest Hills home of resident Erin Thompson serving as a primary location.
The movie tells the story of a woman, played by Parker, whose husband, played by Andy Garcia, decides the perfect Christmas gift for his wife is to build a Ferris wheel in their backyard, reminiscent of the ride they were on when he asked her to marry him.
The film costars Mandy Moore as a nurse who cares for and befriends Parker’s character. The Grammy Award-winning singer-turned-actress has filmed in the Wilmington area before, opposite Shane West in 2002’s “A Walk to Remember.”
Related story: Andy Garcia, Mandy Moore join cast of locally filmed ‘Christmas in Conway’
Hallmark Hall of Fame’s Facebook page features a recently posted report from the set of “Christmas in Conway,” focusing on the Ferris wheel’s construction in Thompson’s backyard.
The report, posted Friday, quotes Thompson as saying: “Our kids are very excited, and I know when it gets up, it’s going to be more grandiose than we can even imagine.”
The post notes construction took about five days, and quotes Thompson as saying she has seen other productions filming in the neighborhood over the past decade, adding that she’s happy her home is now in the stoplight.
“We will be here during the actual filming and some of the overnight stuff when it’s an actual, working Ferris wheel…,” Thompson says in the post. “We’re not allowed to ride the Ferris wheel, because we did ask that.”
According to the post, a film permit indicates stunt work involving a person falling from the Ferris wheel. The post notes crews plan to shoot at the home through mid-August.
“Christmas in Conway”—the second Hallmark Hall of Fame movie to film in the Wilmington area in the past three years—is set to air on ABC later this year.
Related story: Mary-Louise Parker to star in Wilmington-filmed ‘Christmas in Conway’
