Now the countryside is where the real magic happened. The producers wanted “Siberian vibes” but with Wi-Fi. So they drove three hours north of Toronto to Southern Georgian Bay. Specifically, the tiny town of Meaford.
Meaford hates being famous. They’re still mad the film crew left a giant fake deer skull on the town square. The mayor reportedly said, “We’re a quilting community, not a horror set.”
But the show’s most surprising fact? That frozen lake where our hero falls through the ice? It’s Lake Couchiching. And it was actually 40°C (104°F) during filming. The “ice” was a giant sheet of painted foam, and the actor was wearing a wet suit full of cold coffee to look like he was shivering. He later said he was “shivering from laughter.”
The Castle That Cost a Mint
Remember the villain’s creepy mansion? That’s not CGI. It’s the Casa Loma in downtown Toronto—a real castle built by a rich nutcase in 1914. The production paid $250,000 just to use it for one night. For that price, you could buy a small house in Detroit.
Fun fact: Casa Loma’s basement has secret tunnels that connect to a swimming pool. The crew used them to move lighting equipment. They also filmed a “scary wine cellar” scene there, but the only scary thing was the $18 toast they served at the snack table.
James Nesbitt Battles Wind As Filming Begins On Harlan Coben Netflix
