Exploring On-Screen Romance and Restaurants in Santa Clarita

Summer is here Santa Clarita and, with the state reopening, residents can once again enjoy their favorite local restaurants and attend weddings that were postponed due to the coronavirus. In this issue, we are going to take a look back through Santa Clarita’s filmmaking lens and explore the numerous productions that feature on-screen romance., We will also explore the many familiar, local restaurants that have served as a backdrop to well-known television shows and blockbuster films.
The City of Santa Clarita has welcomed numerous productions and notable television shows featuring famous on-screen romances that have leapt off the screen and into our hearts. The Hyatt Regency hotel, located in the heart of Valencia, has hosted many productions, as well as many couples who choose to tie the knot or host receptions on their luscious grounds. While brides and grooms have flocked to the Hyatt for their resort-like atmosphere, in the first “Twilight” film, star-crossed lovers Bella and Edward escaped to the Hyatt to lay low while another vampire is hunting them. But if fantasy drama is not necessarily for you, the amenities at the Hyatt Regency Valencia are very much a reality. One of television’s most celebrated on-screen romances, Jim and Pam from “The Office,” visited the Hyatt in season 8. The main lobby and hotel rooms were used as a backdrop, serving as a gift shop – not to mention the in-house restaurant, now known as Greater Pacific, that was used for a dining scene from the show.
When it comes to dining, many restaurants throughout Santa Clarita have served as backdrops for productions big and small. Among one of Santa Clarita’s most historic eateries is the Saugus Café, which opened its doors in the late 1800s. Over 135 years of business, the longest operating restaurant in Los Angeles County has welcomed movers and shakers from then Chief of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, William Mulholland, to more recent stars, including Whoopi Goldberg and Drew Barrymore, who shot scenes from the film “Boys on the Side” in 1994. Although the Saugus Café has taken on many shapes and appearances over the decades, the establishment continues to be a favored filmmaking location, being featured in more recent productions including “NCIS,” “Agents of S.H.I.E.LD.,” “Goliath,” and “SEAL Team.” 
 Filming in Santa Clarita continues to grow as more productions come to Santa Clarita for the City’s diverse set of landscapes, scenic neighborhoods and the long list of filming locations that have been used in music videos and television advertisements, in addition to films and television. With local movie houses now open, why not take the family to see the latest blockbusters at the newly opened Laemmle Theatre in Old Town Newhall or at Regal Cinemas located at both the Westfield Valencia Town Center and in Canyon Country?
 The City of Santa Clarita’s Film Office began operating in 2002 and currently processes over 500 permits annually, generating nearly 1,500 film days each year. Filming benefits the local community, adding over $30 million of positive economic impact per year to the local economy. To learn more about Santa Clarita’s filmmaking history and to see a list of what has been filmed here, please visit www.FilmSantaClarita.com and follow the City’s film office on Instagram @FilmSantaClarita.

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