Keeping a secret in a small town is never easy, but when filming for Netflix blockbuster The Diplomat got under way in Inveraray, it was impossible.
This was partly due to the road through the town centre being closed as shoot took place in the middle of a Saturday afternoon.
Local people being hired as extras, a large film crew staying in the area and several lorries and trailers parked in castle grounds also helped to give the game away.
But it seems everyone has been sworn to secrecy by the makers of the American political thriller starring Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell.
A spokeswoman for Argyll and Bute Council said they were unable to comment “on any filming that’s taking place.”
Public notices declared the road through Inveraray town centre would be closed on the morning of Saturday February 10 for filming.
And Brambles restaurant in Main Street excited declared: “Please note that Brambles will be closed on Saturday 10th February, as filming takes place in Inveraray. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, but we’re thrilled our town will be part of this exciting event!”
We spoke to John Mackay, a regular visitor to Inveraray, who gave us the inside scoop.
John and his partner Marion McKintosh spend many of their winter weekends at Marion’s cottage by the shore. He told us: “One of our neighbours is a local painter. He told us two weeks before that he had been commissioned to paint some of the shop fronts to bring them up to scratch for some filming.
“A good friend of my partner is a huge fan of Rufus Sewell and we were under strict instructions to get video footage of him.”
John continued: “Rufus came out of the shop as a tractor drove passed. It seemed the star of the show was the tractor driver.
“They did the take three or four times. All of the locals were talking about what a great guy the tractor driver was. He must be a well-known local. His job was to drive the tractor and Rufus had to walk out in front of it.”
He added: “We walked round to the castle and were amazed at the sheer weight of machinery and people it takes to make up a filmset.
“A girl at one of the big lorries was telling me they came up the previous weekend during bad weather and it took them an hour to get their wagons over the Old Military Road at the Rest and Be Thankful.”
Nobody was giving away much about the plot and why the crews were in Inveraray. But the episode being filmed was supposed to be taking place in July, which created its own issues for February in Argyll.
John said: “The extras were in shorts and t-shirts standing in the street freezing. The hardware shop sold out of brushes because the crew had to sweep away the snow.
“Quite a lot of locals were used as extras.
“It was certainly good for the town. They were here from the weekend before and were leaving on the Wednesday after the Saturday.”
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