Ont. city once again chosen for filming of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’

Some familiar red cloaks have been spotted in Cambridge, Ont. Jeff Pickel gives us a look behind the scenes.

Some of the images in the following story depict fictious situations that may be upsetting to some viewers.

Actors hit their marks Monday as filming began in Cambridge, Ont.

A television crew, which moved into the city a week ago, built a big set piece on Landsdowne Road North and Queen’s Square. The wooden structure, resembling gallows, was for a production titled “The Light.”

Rumours have been flying, however, that the filming is actually for the upcoming season of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which has filmed in the city several times before. It is also common practice in the film and television industry to use code names to avoid production spoilers.

Those rumours seem all but confirmed Monday after the show’s distinctive red cloaks, worn by the eponymous Handmaids, were visible on set.

Actor Ann Dowd, who portrays Aunt Lydia on the show, was also spotted in her character’s brown cloak.

“We’re very interested. We saw them all on the stage there,” Cambridge resident Julie Faist said. “They’ve been building a stage for well over a week and we saw them go up in the air with the drone.”

Seeing all the excitement surrounding the production gave Faist a taste of what it might be like to work on a live set.

“I’ve lived here my whole life,” she said. “Maybe I’ll be an extra one day.”

“You have no idea how many people there are that work behind the scenes,” she added.

Business balance

Some shops near the filming location saw a bit of a financial boost as members of the cast and crew searched for refuge from the cold.

“The first day has been quite busy,” admitted Charlotte McCauly, a supervisor at Melville Café. “Going forward for the rest of the week, we may have some extra staff on. We weren’t really expecting to be as busy as we have been today, but it’s been good.”

McCauly also said the road closures and parking lot closures did create issues for some of her regular customers who were trying to get to the store.

But for her, having the set nearby is thrilling.

“As a fan of the show myself, it’s pretty exciting to be able to see all of that,” she said.

“I snuck out on my breaks a couple of times to take a peek and it’s really neat to see all the people down there.”

Traffic impact

Filming is expected to continue the rest of the week and wrap up between Feb. 1 and Feb. 7.

During filming, Queen’s Square will be closed to the public while North and South Square are closed from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. daily until Wednesday.

A closure is also in effect from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Main Street, from Queen’s Square to Ainslie Street, until Wednesday. After that, the closure shifts to 6 a.m. until 3 a.m. on Thursday and from 12 p.m. until 3 a.m. on Friday.

There will also be intermittent traffic interruptions on George Street at Queen’s Square, Grand Ave at Queen’s Square, Water Street at Main Street and Park Hill Road West, from Grande Ave to Water Street North.