HAVANA (WSVN) — In the wake of a historic restoration of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba, the makers of American movies and TV shows are expressing a growing desire to film in the island nation, which has previously been off-limits, and a cable show did just that in Havana.
A crew made up of both Cubans and Americans shot scenes from the TV show "House of Lies" outside a bar where Ernest Hemingway used to down mojitos. Producers of the Showtime series said this is the first U.S. scripted series to film in Cuba since diplomatic ties were restored.
The show’s star, Don Cheadle, plays Marty Kahn, a die-hard capitalist who plots to make a fortune as the communist-run island warms to U.S. investment. "He is at the nexus of, you know, where he wants to be, the most upside that might be possible if he gets in on the ground floor," said the Oscar-nominated actor. "So I think for somebody like this, not just for Marty Kahn but all the Marty Kahns in the world, this may be ground zero, for better or worse."
When asked what the downside of such a business venture would be, Cheadle replied, "You don’t want to see a place completely dominated by another culture and lose all the indigenous elements about it that make it what it is."
Cold War animosity meant that, for over five decades, Cuba was off limits to Hollywood. Countries like the Dominican Republic stood in for the Caribbean island in films such as "The Godfather Part II."
But with the diplomatic opening, a growing number of films and series, including the next installment of the "Fast and Furious" movies, now want to shoot in Cuba.
As the cameras roll, there’s also a sense of history being made. "We are the first people looking for these approvals, we are the first people doing transactions this way and asking for our State Department and the Cuban government to relate to each other over something like this," said "House of Lies" producer Jessika Borsiczky. "We are discovering answers to questions that probably haven’t been asked yet, so I feel a little bit like a pioneer."
So expect to see Cuba as the setting of more U.S. productions. "Its definitely incredibly cinematic," said Cheadle. "The places to shoot are so scenic. Just looking down this avenue, and there are churches, and it’s just beautiful and its own unique place. So you would hope there would be more crews here."
It seems, at long last, Cuba is having its Hollywood moment.