LAURA PETERS, STAUNTON NEWS LEADER
RICHMOND – Harriet Tubman’s inspiring story is told in a new film that shows important moments from her life in 19th-century Maryland, Philadelphia, and other places.
But those scenes were shot in Virginia over several locations near Richmond in 2018.
Harriet Tubman spent the first part of her life in Maryland as an enslaved person. Born into slavery, she was brought up on a plantation in Dorchester County. When she escaped she became one of the most famous conductors of the Underground Railroad.
Virginia’s Historical Landmarks Made It An Ideal Place To Film
Filming for “Harriet” began at end of July 2018 and ended by Christmas 2018. The movie stars Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman and features other big names including Janelle Monáe, Jennifer Nettles, Leslie Odom Jr. and Joe Alwyn. Shooting locations for the film included Richmond, Petersburg, Ashland, and Charles City.
“Once we started looking at the locations and all the opportunity in Virginia, it quickly became clear that that was the right move for us,” said Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Focus Features Producer for the film.
“Virginia is not so different from Maryland,” Lundberg said. “So we were able to capture that really quite easily.”
Virginia Film Office director Andy Edmunds agrees, and was instrumental in showcasing the state’s potential to the moviemakers. “This is the type of movie we should be scouting for Virginia, because we have such great historical locations,” he said. “This is our kind of movie.”
Edmunds has been with the film office for 22 years and is one of the biggest cheerleaders for getting movies, TV shows and more filmed in the Commonwealth.
State Farm And Berkeley Plantation Among The Places Where Scenes Were Filmed
Film sets from the movie “Harriet,” which was filmed at State Farm in Powhatan. State Farm is part of the old James River Correctional Center,… SUBMITTED/LORI RUSSELL
Three Lakes Park in Henrico was used as the backdrop for the Maryland scenes. Tom Thorp, the manager of living collections at the park, has seen a number of productions filmed at Three Lakes Park, including “TURN” and “The Good Lord Bird.”
Production companies can use the park for free. Thorp, or another employee at the park, has to stay with the crews until filming is complete. Thorp said they usually would do a day or so at a time, depending on if they were filming day or night scenes.
Thorp has spent many long days and nights observing the filming.
He can point out each place in the park that’s been used in a production. The main path is often used for horse or carriage scenes.
“They just put pine needles or pine bark mulch, then they run wagons up and down,” he said. “If I see a wagon scene I can see if it’s ours or not.”
“Harriet” was also filmed at State Farm in Powhatan, which is part of the old James River Correctional Center. The state-run prison property has had several sets built over it for such productions as “John Adams,” “Lincoln,” “TURN,” and “Washington’s Spies.”
The crew utilized Berkeley Plantation in Charles City outside of Richmond to portray the Albany, New York home of Sen. William Seward.
And nearby Petersburg became the perfect stand- 19th-century Philadelphia.
“Once we went to Petersburg, I think we all really were sold … there’s there’s the cobblestone streets and the brick buildings, and it all looks incredibly authentic,” Lundburg said. “I think we were all able to take that leap of faith and really imagine recreating Philadelphia there.”
Brian Landis, a Richmond-based actor who played the part of the marshal in “Harriet,” said it’s the variety of location possibilities for those who chose to have productions here mixed with the overall welcoming vibe Virginia gives off. It’s definitely not Los Angeles, he said, and that’s a good thing.
“When people come here, they’ve commented on how salt-of-the earth and how wonderful it is to be with people who are not so consumed with the entertainment industry,” he said.
Harriet Tubman’s Story Still Inspires People Today
Landis knows that southern hospitality. He grew up in rural Augusta County and has called Richmond his home since the early 1990s.
Up until recently, Landis only knew what was taught in school about Tubman, which wasn’t much, he said. He said he just recently learned that organizations like the Daughters of the Confederacy had a big influence on what was taught in southern schools after Reconstruction.
“It makes me wonder how much black history was omitted from my early education (1970s) because curriculums weren’t properly updated by the powers that be,” he said. “While I’ve always considered myself progressive on these causes, I’ve definitely made it more of a priority to try to learn even more about many of the hurdles that all minorities faced and continue to face in the past 10 years.
Brian K. Landis stars as Marshal and Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman in “Harriet,” a Focus Features release. SUBMITTED/ GLEN WILSON, FOCUS FEATURES
“Being involved in ‘Harriet’ just helped add to that repertoire of information,” he added. “Harriet is so relevant still and I was incredibly proud to be a part of getting the story told.”Edmunds said hopefully people have benefitted from that legacy and were able to use Tubman as a role model to carry that courage forward.
“She wasn’t motivated by ego or anything. Her motivation was love,” he said.
Tubman had set out to get her husband after she had escaped slavery.
In the movie “you definitely dive into her physical journey and her spiritual journey,” he said. “It’s just a lesson for America to see what she was willing to do in the name of freedom, in the name of justice. I think it’s an inspiring story that people need to see and people need to remember.”
You can reach reporter Laura Peters at lpeters@newsleader.com. Follow her @peterslaura.
