Where is Luckiest Girl Alive filmed? Locations featured in the Mila Kunis mystery thriller

It's set in New York but where did it film?

Mila Kunis as Ani in Luckiest Girl Alive.
(Image credit: Sabrina Lantos/Netflix/Future)

Mila Kunis was spotted at a multitude of filming locations, and we reveal exactly which backdrops brought the thrilling story to life.

With Reece Withserspoon directing and a host of stars appearing in Luckiest Girl Alive, the film was off to a flying start before production even began. Luckiest Girl Alive tells the story of Ani FaNelli, a sassy New Yorker who appears to have the perfect life. She works for a prestigious magazine, always has the latest trends adorning her wardrobe, and the icing on the cake - her dream wedding is around the corner. When asked to take part in a documentary about the prestigious Brentley School where she was formerly a pupil, her carefully crafted life stands on the brink of unravelling. With the action being set in New York, was the film actually shot in New York? Read on to find out.

Viewers have been wondering if the film is based on a true story, and the answer is quite shocking. For those who have seen the film and want a recap, we've a handy guide to the Luckiest Girl Alive ending explained plus news of a potential follow up. Also bringing the thrills, another Netflix film had a slightly ambiguous ending - with the Lou ending explained, we make things clear while weighing in on sequel possibilities. For music and film fans, I Used To Be Famous based on the director’s astonishing nephew, is definitely one to look out for, with plenty of original music. 

Where is Luckiest Girl Alive filmed?

Luckiest Girl Alive was filmed in Cobourg and Toronto, in Ontario, Canada. Other external sequences were filmed in New York City

In Cobourg, Ontario, Global News reported that a private property in the town was used as part of the shoot, and production vehicles were seen at the Cobourg Collegiate Institute, the former Brookside Youth Centre and on Willmott Street. On a local Cobourg community Facebook group, residents welcomed the film crews, writing " There will be no road closures or detours for the filming, and there will be minimal impact to the community. Welcome back Netflix and crew!" 

In Toronto, Curiocity revealed that parts of downtown were being transformed into Manhattan for the film, particularly the areas of Yorkville, Richmond Street, and University Avenue. 

In New York, videos of the cast and crew filming were taken at 5th Avenue, the Rockefeller Center, and Bryant Park. A video shared to Instagram showed filming on 5th Avenue very clearly, with Kunis and her co-stars walking past shops, surrounded by crews and extras. The video was captioned "Closer shot of Mila Kunis and Finn Wittrock on 5th Avenue filming "Luckiest Girl Alive." New York City. New York".

When was Luckiest Girl Alive filmed?

Filming for Luckiest Girl Alive began in June 2021 in Toronto, concluding in September 2021 in New York City.

In June, a picture was shared to Twitter revealing that production on the film was underway. A fan shared the picture with the caption "filming has started on Mila’s new project- ‘Luckiest Girl Alive’! Really excited to see her in this role I know she’s gonna be great!"

Speaking about Kunis' performance in the film, director Mike Barker told Movieweb "Mila’s not just the actress, she’s also a producer on the film… Mila was quite fundamental in the creative process before she even turned up on set. And on the set, she’s such a great spirit. She’s such a beautiful person, and she’s got such a great big hear. I think there’s something inherently attractive and watchable about her before she even starts thinking about acting".

Mila Kunis as Ani in Luckiest Girl Alive

(Image credit: Sabrina Lantos/Netflix)

Luckiest Girl Alive Netflix release date

Luckiest Girl Alive will have its Netflix release date on Friday October 7, 2022. This follows a limited theatrical release from September 30, 2022. 

To view the film, a Netflix subscription will be required. There are 3 Netflix packages available for those wanting to subscribe. The cheapest package costs £6.99 per month, and this basic starting price includes unlimited access to the Netflix catalogue. With this, subscribers can only stream from one device at a time. 

At £10.99 per month, the standard package also includes the entire Netflix catalogue. However, simultaneous streaming from 2 devices is allowed. This package also has shows in HD, and allows downloads to mobile devices. The final premium package costs £15.99 per month, and features bonuses including allowing streaming across 4 devices, and contains most of the catalogue in Ultra HD. 

Mila Kunis as Ani, Finn Wittrock as Luke in Luckiest Girl Alive

(Image credit: Sabrina Lantos/Netflix)

Luckiest Girl Alive: Cast

  • Mila Kunis (Ted, Bad Moms) as Ani Fanelli
  • Finn Wittrock (Ratched, American Horror Story) as Luke Harrison
  • Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights, Nashville) as Dina
  • Chiara Aurelia (Cruel Summer, Back Roads) as young Ani Fanelli
  • Scoot McNairy (True Detective, Godless) as Andrew Larson
  • Jennifer Beals (Proof, Taken) as LoLo Vincent
  • Thomas Barbusca (Schooled, American Horror Story) as Arthur Finneman
  • Justine Lupe (Mr Mercedes, Succession) as Neil Rutherford
  • Dalmar Abuzeid (Murdoch Mysteries, Hemlock Grove) as Aaron Wickersham
  • Alexandra Beaton (The Next Step, Good Witch) as Hilary Hitchinson
  • Nicole Huff (Tiny Pretty Things, Private Eye) as Olivia Caplan
  • Alex Barone (Dopesick, The Rookie) as Dean Barton
  • Carson MacCormac (Locke and Key, October Faction) as young Dean Barton
  • Gage Munroe (Brotherhood, Nobody) as Peyton Powell

Director Mike Baker spoke about the difficulties in different actresses playing the same role, with Mila Kunis playing Ani as an adult, and Chiara Aurelia as teen Ani. He said "It’s a very complicated role, because there are two people playing that role. She’s [Kunis] not just playing the person in the moment who is acting opposite another actor, she’s also narrating the film, so she has to give a second performance at the same time".

He continued "it’s a very complicated thing for her to do, and she just did it so brilliantly. The thing about Ani, the character, she’s quite spiky, has attitudes, potentially unsympathetic, and I think that Mila navigates that in such a beautiful way that she makes her feel incredibly real, and make us want to root for her".

Mila Kunis as Ani in Luckiest Girl Alive

(Image credit: Sabrina Lantos/Netflix)

Luckiest Girl Alive: Behind the scenes 

Kunis and Aurelia both spoke to Netflix Tudum about how well the cast and crew got on during filming - it turns out they all adored one another. Kunis spoke about the safe and supportive filming environment in the face of depicting sometimes disturbing events, saying “We had one of the greatest environments I’ve ever been a part of. Every day we had a blast and every day we laughed”.

Aurelia added “We all absolutely adore each other, truly. I have a really good support system, and that’s what really grounds me and brings me down to earth in the end”. Carson MacCormac shared how his bond with Aurelia helped with some difficult scenes together, saying “Everyone was so supportive on set, Chiara specifically. We were just such a close-knit community, and I think some of the heavier scenes also brought us closer together. We bonded over the fact that it was something just us were going through on the day. It was a tough thing to film, but we had a blast.”

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Lucy Wigley
Parenting writer - contributing

Lucy is a mum-of-two, multi-award nominated writer and blogger with six years’ of experience writing about parenting, family life, and TV. Lucy has contributed content to PopSugar and moms.com. In the last three years, she has transformed her passion for streaming countless hours of television into specialising in entertainment writing. There is now nothing she loves more than watching the best shows on television and sharing why you - and your kids - should watch them.