The Literary Cabinet of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is an elegant mansion from the mid-19th century in the heart of the capital's old quarter, right next to the Hotel Madrid, where the dictator Francisco Franco spent the night before the military uprising began.
The property is typically used for conferences and exhibitions.
These days, however, for once it has become the center of attention of many citizens.
The actress and singer Jennifer Lopez has been filming the
thriller The Mother
for a couple of days , a Netflix production with the collaboration of the Canarian Sur Film, directed by the New Zealander Niki Caro.
The star is back on the island after his sudden flight in January following an outbreak of covid in the team.
And with her return, she has returned the expectation.
In two squares and four streets, and after just a few hours of frenetic work, this point of the city (378,675 inhabitants) has converted this place into a large movie set, with fully equipped luxury caravans, four-wheeled portable toilets and everything a fence shield.
Maria Suarez is 17 years old.
She takes advantage of the days off during Carnival week in the city to spend the whole morning posted on one of the sides of the building.
"Yesterday I was able to see her a little," she says with emotion, accompanied by a friend who avoids her questions.
“But what I want is a selfie with her...”.
next to her,
a trio of clueless German tourists ask the locals what is the reason for the profusion of trucks, cables, spotlights and blocked streets.
“
Jennifer Loopetz
?
Etch
?
_
(Jennifer Lopez? Really?)”, they exclaim in surprise.
And they leave before being able to explain to them that the rest of the cast is made up of other stars such as the Mexican Gael García Bernal or Joseph Fiennes.
More information
Gran Canaria is a movie set
The New York star plays a hit woman who is forced to come out of hiding to protect her daughter, whom she had to give up to protect her from the risks that her affiliation entailed.
The part of the plot that is being shot these days in Gran Canaria recreates the city of Havana, Cuba.
Some dozens of fans have decided to dedicate their days off to follow the trail of López, Fiennes, García Bernal and company through all the locations chosen by the production team.
The American singer and actress Jennifer López rehearses one of the scenes from the film 'The mother' on one of the balconies of the Literary Cabinet of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Elvira Urquijo A. (EFE)
On Monday they were at a flying club in the tourist town of San Bartolomé de Tirajana (south of the island).
On Tuesday, they moved to shoot in the gardens of a hotel in Arucas (north).
On Wednesday it was the turn of the gardens of the Rectorate of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
"They work half covered, as if hidden," recounted an employee of the university body.
"The filming makes me happy," says another worker at the institution.
“This morning I arrived at 7.30 and there was no parking.
They have it all cut.
In addition, they have put a securita and we cannot
even gossip
(gossip)”.
The works, finally, will be carried out, according to the local press, also in La Isleta, a neighborhood next to Las Canteras Beach populated by humble houses and narrow streets.
This stretch of filming was scheduled for the first week of January.
A massive outbreak of covid in the team, of about 300 people, forced, however, to evict the singer and actress and to postpone the work.
The producer seems to have learned the lesson.
One of the trucks on the set, with a sign that reads "Covid", pretends that this will not happen again, with a specific device within the shooting area to prevent any contagion.
The workers who guard the area since the morning will have to carry out a PCR, they assure.
Her return, however, has not disappointed and has brought to mind the stir caused in 2016 by the visit of Brad Pitt -and Marion Cotillard- for the filming of
Ally
s, directed by Robert Zemeckis.
The visit of the star (who, unlike López, did approach the fans to greet them) completely disrupted life in the city.
That film was set in World War II, and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria became Morocco, which required intense adaptation work that was widely commented on by the neighbors.