Shubhabrata Dutta
Freeform’s ‘The Stolen Girl’ is a crime thriller miniseries that centers on child abduction. It follows married couple Elisa and Fred Blix, who let their 9-year-old daughter Lucia stay at the home of her new friend Josie for a sleepover. However, when they return the following morning to pick Lucia up, a cleaner informs them there’s no one at the house. The pair is shocked to find out Lucia, Josie, and Josie’s sweet mother, Rebecca, are gone. It takes some time, but the truth finally dawns on Elisa and Fred: their daughter has been kidnapped. A nationwide search follows, and secrets regarding Elisa and Fred come to light, some of which might be connected to the disappearance of their daughter, Lucia. Directed by Eva Husson, ‘The Stolen Girl’ is a powerful adaptation of Norwegian author Alex Dahl’s novel ‘Playdate.’ It was important to keep things visually captivating in a way that highlighted the far-reaching aspects and angles of the story without getting monotonous. This requirement led the crew to opt for myriad real locations, which also made them go overseas.
The Stolen Girl Filming Locations
While the novel is set in Norway, primarily in Sandefjord, the filming of ‘The Stolen Girl’ took place in England and France. Principal photography began in June of 2023, and while reports are unclear about whether and how the SAG-AFTRA strikes (July-November 2023) affected the filming, we know that it wrapped up by August 2024. The decision to shoot on location required the crew to scout many locales, and they were able to pick a handful that were then successfully used to highlight the expanse of the gripping narrative. England became the base for the shoot, with France serving as the backdrop for additional scenes.
Cheadle Hulme, England
Cheadle Hulme, a suburb in Cheadle village in Stockport, Greater Manchester, became the base for the Blix family home and Lucia’s school, where Elisa meets Rebecca for the first time. A Victorian-style house in the suburb of Bramhall became the home of the Blix family. On the other hand, the Cheadle Hulme School, located at Claremont Road, SK8 6EF, doubled as the young girl’s school. Supervising locations manager Kevin Jackson spoke to Time Out about choosing the right school and the process of world-building. He stated how the team “went through several different schools to try and find the right one,” and “the preferred school that everybody liked was just a mile away from Elisa’s house, so we could properly build a real world and not travel too far from the area.”
Manchester, England
Various locations in Manchester, located in the northwestern borough of Greater Manchester, England, were used as the setting for most of the action in the show. Jackson told RadioTimes how the team “did a lot of walking around because a lot of it is set in Manchester city centre.” The urban outdoor environments, architecture, and streets help set the modern tone. The Sunlight House, located at Little Quay Street, Manchester M3 3HP, became the headquarters of the online publication Dash Voice, where investigative journalist Selma Desai works and tracks the case. Whalley Range, about 2 miles south-west of Manchester city centre, doubled up as Desai’s hometown, where her suburban flat is. The team had to send hundreds of letters to properties in Whalley Range and settled for the first house they got a reply from.
The Dalton Building at the All Saints Campus of the Manchester Metropolitan University (Chester Street, Manchester M1 5GD) was transformed into the Manchester Metropolitan Police Station headquarters. The building’s geometric shape and concrete surfaces emphasize the police’s mechanical nature toward handling a case, which, in this case, aids in highlighting the pain of Lucia’s parents. For some scenes, the crew also accessed Aether, the luxury terminal at Manchester Airport, doubling it as the Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Rome, Italy.
Lancashire, England
In-transit scenes were also captured at the Blackpool Airport, located on the Fylde coast in North West England, over 2 days in July 2023. The team had previously decided to shoot them in Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport, but the decision was later changed. Two big green screens were set up on either side of a black Bombardier Global Express jet, which were digitally altered during post-production. The county itself served as the backdrop for many scenes, especially the Horrobin Lane separating the Upper and Lower Rivington Reservoirs, offering the viewers an escape from urbanism.
Marsden, England
Marsden, a village in Colne Valley in the borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, doubled up as the fictional village of Eyton, where you see Elisa’s commune. The beautiful village with its picturesque buildings, including the 19th-century Bank Bottom Mill, and natural terrain serves as the perfect setting for a commune and provides depth to the narrative. In conversation with Time Out, Jackson spoke about how the commune was planned as a setting with vegetables and fruits, but then they came across “this mill that sold cotton and wool and the script was changed to reflect that. We adapted the script based on the location, which is always exciting.” The Mill Road, adjoining the mill, was also used to capture several scenes.
Shropshire, England
The crew resorted to the Shrewsbury Prison, located at The Dana, Shrewsbury SY1 2HP, in Shropshire, West Midlands, to film the scenes of Elisa’s former lover, Fred. Closed since 2013, the Victorian-era prison is now a tourist attraction and serves as a pathway to history for visitors. The brick and concrete front starkly contrasts with the modernized interiors that still carry the smell of the bygone era. It has previously been used by many other shows like ‘Man Like Mobeen,’ ‘Coronation Street,’ and ‘The Apprentice.’
Dover, England
The Port of Dover in Dover, Kent, South East England, was used as the backdrop for the scene where Lucia is being smuggled out of England via a ferry terminal. The Port of Dover is one of the busiest passenger ports in Europe and the nearest English port to France, which may have served as a plus for the creative team since the additional scenes of the show were shot there. The state-of-the-art appearance of the location is an effective addition to the show’s urbanized presentation and highlights a crucial point in the narrative.
Liverpool, England
The production team settled on the port city of Liverpool, in Merseyside, England, for the scenes incorporating Rebecca’s house. The Glass House, located at 19 Fulwood Park, is part of a huge 19th-century Georgian Mansion House and is a man-made marvel. The pavilion-style house has glass on all sides and is surrounded by lush greenery. Here, too, a visual contrast is used to highlight the aesthetic: a minimalist architecture against Nature’s foliage. For the house from which Lucia is kidnapped, the team opted for one near a location where Jackson filmed another project earlier.
Toulon, France
To show Rebecca’s country home, the production team reached out to the gorgeous locales of southeastern France, especially in and around the city of Toulon, in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. This decision provided color and richness to the visuals as opposed to the muted tones of the scenes in England. Holliday Grainger, the actress playing Rebecca/Nina, shot in France for five weeks, while in Manchester, her schedule was for three days. “For most of the time, we were at this amazing, beautiful bastide – this huge house that was so gorgeous and perfect for a bohemian family home,” she told RadioTimes.
The building Grainger was talking about is the 17th-century manor Domaine d’Orvès, located at 71 Avenue de la Libération, 83160 La Valette-du-Var. Known for its botanical significance, the 17th-century privately owned house and the area around it have been declared one of the “Jardin Remarquable”(Remarkable Gardens) of France. “The idea of Nina and the life she was expecting made so much sense in the house with this beautiful artwork and the kids’ rooms with murals. Walking through the town to a French bakery for fresh bread and pastries for the kids. When you’re there, you kind of fall into that world. It was lovely,” Grainger said.
Besides the Domaine d’Orvès, the crew also lensed many scenes around Toulon, especially La Seyne-sur-Mer. The pastry shop Gâteaux & Chocolats, located at 17 Rue Lamalgue, the Le Bidule bar, located at 13 Rue Amable Lagane, the Plage de la Verne pebble beach, and the shops and streets nearby were all captured for crucial outdoor scenes. While each of these backdrops is starkly different from the other, they work together to establish the change in mood and setting.
Cannes, France
The Carlton Hotel, located at 58 boulevard de la Croisette, 06400, Cannes, was also used for a single-day shoot for scenes toward the show’s end. An hour-and-a-half away from Toulon, Cannes, situated in the French Riviera, is an iconic location in the history of world cinema. The hotel has been used as the setting for many movies, the most popular one being Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘To Catch a Thief.’ It also hosts movie stars during the Cannes Film Festival, considered the most prestigious film festival in the world.
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