Filming for “Mona Lisa Smile” took place on campus during 2003.
Despite what many believe — and what Google searches might suggest — surprisingly few movies have been filmed at the university. While motion pictures like “Mystic Pizza,” “The Skulls,” and “The Good Shepard” feature Yale in their storylines, the list of Hollywood productions shot on campus grounds or inside its buildings is remarkably short. YourYale did some cinematic sleuthing on a few that were (and weren’t) filmed here.
“Mona Lisa Smile” (directed by Mike Newell; 2003)
Several scenes in “Mona Lisa Smile” were filmed at Yale.
Requests to shoot for television, motion pictures, or other electronic or digital media on the Yale campus, for commercial purposes must go through the Department of Marketing and Trademark Licensing and are subject to fees. Documentary film requests should go through the Office of Public Affairs and Communications.
“Mona Lisa Smile” was the first major motion picture to shoot some of its scenes on the Yale campus. Set in the 1950s at Wellesley College, the movie stars Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
While filming spanned several days across various Yale locations, only three settings made the final cut: the Hall of Graduate Studies (HGS; now Humanities Quadrangle), Sterling Memorial Library, and Yale University Art Gallery.
The former HGS serves as a stand-in for Wellesley’s college buildings. Sterling appears twice: as a backdrop during Roberts’ walk to class and in an interior scene showing her character conducting research. Several Yale staff members and students were used as extras. The Art Gallery’s cameo features Roberts scampering up its spiral staircase — a moment easily missed when viewing.
“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (directed by Steven Spielberg; 2008)
Scenes in “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” were filmed on campus during the summer of 2007.
In this fourth installment of the Indiana Jones franchise, Yale’s campus doubles as the fictional Marshall College, where Dr. Henry Walton “Indiana” Jones Jr. (Harrison Ford) teaches archeology. In the summer of 2007, director Steven Spielberg and his cast and crew spent two weeks filming in New Haven and across Yale’s campus.
During that time, they staged a dizzying motorcycle chase scene featuring Ford and Shia LaBeouf, who plays Mutt Williams, Indiana’s son. Shooting this sequence required several days, during which Chapel Street was transformed into a 1950s townscape, and numerous city streets lined with vintage cars were temporarily closed to traffic.
The chase scene wound around Elm, College, Chapel and High streets as well as through Old Campus — bursting through a set of gates (made of Styrofoam) — and some campus buildings. Commons was turned into a library reading room with special flooring built for the vehicles and to protect the hall. Sterling Memorial Library had an 80-foot tunnel constructed in the nave to protect it from motorcycle exhaust fumes and other hazards, and hundreds of extras were cast including some students and staff.
“Everybody’s Fine” (Directed by Kirk Jones; 2009)
Interior of Woolsey Hall. Photo my Michael Marsland.
“Everybody’s Fine” was filmed primarily inside Woolsey Hall and the adjacent rotunda. The nearly seven-minute sequence features Robert De Niro and Sam Rockwell as father and son. Woolsey serves as an unnamed concert hall, and musicians from the New Haven Symphony Orchestra performed as extras.
The sequence begins with De Niro walking past the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library and cuts to him inside the rotunda, dragging his creaky suitcase into Woolsey’s balcony during a rehearsal. The scene culminates with De Niro and Rockwell sharing an intimate conversation in the front row, with Woolsey’s gorgeous ceiling and stage as a backdrop.
Yale’s Lanman Center hosted the “Jeopardy!” National College Championship in 2003.
“Jeopardy! National College Championship: Season 20” (Produced by Sony Pictures Television; 2003)
In 2003, Yale’s Lanman Center in Payne Whitney Gymnasium hosted the “Jeopardy!” National College Championship, an annual tournament featuring undergraduate students competing on the popular quiz show. The production team was on campus for two weeks, and they used the first week to transform Lanman into a television studio and gameshow set.
Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek chats with contestants including Robby Schrum ‘05.
Over five days, the crew recorded twenty episodes, hosted by the late Alex Trebek, who changed into a different suit for each show. Over 18,000 college students from across the U.S. applied to compete in the tournament, from which only 15 contestants were selected. While one Yale student, Robby Schrum ’05, earned a spot in the competition, he didn’t advance to the final round. The production welcomed the local community, distributing over 6,000 tickets to attend the tapings. The episodes later aired over 10 days.
“Gilmore Girls” (created by Amy Sherman-Palladino; 2000-2007)
Image courtesy of the Yale Alumni Association.
“Gilmore Girls” is a television series that chronicles the lives of Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter, Rory, who live in the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. Rory aspires to attend Harvard University but ultimately chooses Yale in season three. For the next four seasons, Rory attends Yale, and even becomes editor of the Yale Daily News.
Although the show was not filmed on-site, the production company sought input from the university through the Marketing and Trademark Licensing Office for stage and set design. Members of the film crew came to New Haven to scout the campus and shared scripts with licensing staff, who made suggestions to ensure the sets resembled the campus or a Yale dormitory room and provided a sample diploma.
The Yale Whiffenpoofs make a cameo appearance in a 2003 episode set at a mock Yale-Harvard tailgate which was shot in California.
