It's not every day you stumble onto a film set while heading to work at your office job.
Have you ever run into an A-list star in a rather mundane place? It doesn't happen very often, but some of us will have bumped into an actor while doing our shopping or spotted a musician in our local pub. But what would you do if you got to witness a star doing their job just a stone's throw from your workplace?
That's what office workers in Canary Wharf, east London, got to do this week after several of them reported running into a film crew when heading outside for their lunch break. While spotting cameras in the capital isn't rare, many of them are often for smaller projects and they don't always have A-list actors in tow. This one, however, left people gobsmacked as they spotted a very famous woman among the cast and crew – Julia Roberts.
TikTok videos were shared by Bruno Viegas and the official account for the tuition service Lesson Wise, which both showed the film crew hard at work on the streets of Canary Wharf, as well as small glimpses of 57-year-old Roberts wearing a speckled black coat and sporting her hair in a chic bun.
The film crew also appeared to have set up Canary Wharf to look like New York City, with videos showing yellow taxi cabs, New York Police Department vehicles, and even a FedEx delivery van. Captioning their video, Lesson Wise joked: "They were pretending to be in America with a line of American cars, begs the question, is America real?"
Reddit users also shared proof of the film crew on the London forum, with many asking what the cameras were filming. One person said: "I asked one of the guys earlier, he said it's under codename, so he has no idea what it is. However, Julia Roberts was there." Another added: "I saw this as well and spotted Julia Roberts, too!"
Someone else explained why they would film in Canary Wharf instead of New York City, stating: "They film a lot in front of it because Canary Wharf is private property. They can control it more and can double for New York pretty easily. I didn't see any celebs today, but lots of extras dressed up like standard office workers."
While there was no official confirmation of what was being filmed, it appears that it was likely a new film called Panic Carefully. The upcoming thriller is being directed by Sam Esmail, and alongside Julia, Eddie Redmayne and Elizabeth Olsen also star. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Panic Carefully is a "paranoid thriller that has tonal influences of Silence of the Lambs and involves the hunt for a cyber-terrorist".
In addition to the filming on the streets of Canary Wharf, Reddit users also claimed filming was taking place inside 40 Bank Street, a skyscraper which is home to various offices. Several users reported that an FBI seal had been added to the floor of the foyer, indicating they may be using it to imitate a federal building.
One person said: "They turned the whole winter garden into an airport border patrol room. The foyer of 40 bank street also has an FBI seal on the floor." Another added: "In the lobby at 40 Bank Street is a huge FBI sign on the floor and two security gates/frames like in an airport. Next door in the winter garden, it looked like Terminal 5."
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