The Door In The Floor began seven weeks of principal photography on March 31st, 2003 in Manhattan at the Harrison Restaurant in TriBeCa. The production then moved out to various locations on Long Island, culminating in a three-week sojourn in the Hamptons.
During filming, John Irving visited the set briefly. Jeff Bridges reports, “He only came I think one day. But he made himself available. I remember calling him a couple of times and asking his opinion on things. To which Tod said, ‘By all means, go ahead, go to the source.’” Kim Basinger well remembers meeting Irving during production: “One day, John Irving and his family came to the set to watch a scene being filmed, and it just happened to be one of mine. Right before we shot, I was sitting at the table on the porch to begin the scene when I looked up and saw him and his whole family glued to the monitor.
“I got so nervous that I was mortified and couldn’t breathe. Knowing that they were watching me, I was afraid that no words would come out of my mouth. During each take of the scene, I was holding one of those cocktail umbrellas that come in tropical beverages. We filmed about four takes and when the scene was completed, there before me was a pile of shredded cocktail umbrellas…”
While their encounters with Irving varied, Bridges and Basinger share more comparable experiences with Williams. Bridges says, “I’ve had good luck with young directors; that was certainly the case with Tod. He’s one of my favorites I’ve worked with. Because he’s a writer, he has all of that to bring to the table. So if there’s something that’s not working in the middle of a scene, he can change it quickly. He gave all of the actors a lot of confidence and employed a sense of play and fun – even on the tragic scenes.”
Basinger says, “Kip is incredibly bright and a truly free spirit. I consider working with him a rare gift.”
Bridges adds, “This was a relatively low-budget picture. When you’re making a big spectacle type of movie, like Seabiscuit – though that had some intimate things about it as well – it takes a lot of time in-between, to re-cock the shot, and so on. This was a different style of moviemaking. Seat-of-the-pants, and you’ve got to work close as a team. Time is of the essence, and everybody’s got to be on their game and ready to shift to do what it takes to get the shot.
Bridges reports, “But I never felt rushed or that we didn’t have enough time to do what we had to do. Tod always gave me enough time, supported me, and would come up with great ideas. Choosing the locations came from the people that he hired, of course, but they also went past his inspection.”
Among the Hamptons shooting locales were the 216-acre Sands Point Preserve, where two impressive castles built by original owner Howard Gould (son of railroad tycoon Jay Gould) are open to the public for tours; Sagg Main Beach in Sagaponack; Gin Lane in Southampton; and an estate in the village of Muttontown, which served as the interior of the Coles’ home.
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