Can a man and a woman ever truly just be friends? That is the age-old query explored in the 1989 classic “When Harry Met Sally . . . ” Chronicling the hilarious and heart-warming years-long relationship between darkly cynical Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) and fastidiously quirky Sally Albright (Meg Ryan), the Rob Reiner/Nora Ephron hit answers the question with a resounding ‘no!’, thrilling audiences in the process as the duo’s will-they-or-won’t-they dynamic ends in one of the most romantic scenes ever to grace the silver screen. More than three decades after its release, the film is still regarded as one of the best rom-coms of all time.
So when Hollywood multi-threat Ali Wong mentioned in a 2016 The New Yorker interview that she and longtime friend and collaborator Randall Park, whom she initially met in the late ‘90s through UCLA’s LCC Theatre Company, had been toying with writing their own version of the beloved flick, it set the internet ablaze! Vulture’s Jackson McHenry promptly bolstered the idea with an article titled “Dear Hollywood, Please Make Ali Wong and Randall Park’s Dream Rom-Com.” The piece drummed up even more enthusiasm for the project, provoking the two comedians to finally sit down and pen the script, along with co-writer Michael Golamco. Netflix subsequently signed on to back it and by May 2018, “Always Be My Maybe” was in production, with “Fresh Off the Boat” creator Nahnatchka Khan at the helm. A fresh, witty and warm take on the classic film, the movie hit the streamer the following year to countless accolades and has remained a viewer favorite ever since.
The reimagined film centers around Los Angeles-based celebrity chef Sasha Tran (Wong) and her childhood best friend, Marcus Kim (Park), who grew up next door to each other in San Francisco. Once inseparable, the two go their separate ways following a disastrous one-night fling at the end of high school, only to reconnect 16 years later when the immensely successful Sasha returns to her hometown for a two-month stint to open her new “trans-denominational modern Vietnamese fusion” restaurant, Saintly Fare. As sparks begin to fly yet again, the two former buddies reexamine what they want out of life and relationships.
Though set in San Francisco, where Wong grew up, very little of the film was actually shot there. For budgetary reasons, the bulk of the movie was instead lensed in Vancouver, British Columbia, or “Hollywood North,” as it has come to be known thanks to the many tax credits and financial incentives the city offers to film crews which has turned it into a massive production hub.
-
Image Credit: Netflix -
Image Credit: Google Gastown makes for quite a convincing San Francisco surrogate throughout most of “Always Be My Maybe.” One location does stand out as an anomaly, however. The sprawling manse that Sasha leases while in town to open her restaurant, easily the film’s most prominent backdrop, doesn’t look like a typical SF residence. An obviously new build situated on an oversized tree-lined lot, the pad feels far too modern, large and leafy to be located in the City by the Bay – at least to this San Francisco native. But being that it is easily the movie’s most stunning locale, providing endless eye candy for viewers, you’ll get no complaints about it from me!
In real life, Sasha’s rental can be found at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, overlooking the pristine waters of Horseshoe Bay, the Burrard Inlet and the Strait of Georgia, at 4127 Burkehill Rd. in West Vancouver’s Bayridge neighborhood. (Please remember this is a private home. Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way.)
Erected in 2014, the picturesque estate is the work of Paul Butler of Paul Butler Home Designs. While measurement details seem to be quite disparate online, by most accounts, the three-story property features four bedrooms and six baths spread throughout a roomy 5,000 square feet. A custom build for previous owners, the house replaced a smaller midcentury-esque dwelling that initially stood on the premises.
-
Image Credit: Netflix -
Image Credit: Redfin Designed for entertaining, the pad features an open floor plan with the living, dining and family rooms flowing seamlessly into one another, each lined with picture windows offering views that stretch to Vancouver Island and beyond. And while there’s not a Gubi chair in sight, chic elements like stacked stone walls, abstract chandeliers and white oak flooring can be found throughout.
-
Image Credit: Netflix -
Image Credit: Redfin The upgraded kitchen is a true chef’s playground, with glass tiles, granite and Silestone counters, a central island with bar seating and a suite of eight top-of-the-line Miele appliances, including double ovens and dishwashers, an induction cooktop and a built-in oversized refrigerator featuring a “bean-to-cup” coffee maker (for those rainy Vancouver days when it’s far too dreary to venture out to Starbucks).
The home also boasts a media room, a mudroom with storage lockers, a den, a glass staircase and an owners’ suite flush with a spa-like bath, a wood-shelf-lined walk-in closet, a make-up vanity and a private deck.
-
Image Credit: Netflix -
Image Credit: Redfin The pad’s real selling point, though, is its outdoor space. Situated just off the living room and reached via folding eclipse doors is a luxe patio complete with a hot tub, a stone fire pit, a changing room/bathroom, a covered cabana, an outdoor kitchen and a large south-facing pool. (“You know who doesn’t have a pool? Marcus!”) The 0.28-acre lot also boasts a large grassy side yard and is overflowing with mature palms, banana trees and yew hedges.
Per Zillow, the property last changed hands for just under $4.15 million in July 2018, shortly after filming on “Always Be My Maybe” wrapped. The listing, which was held by Eric Christiansen of Bellevue Realty Group, oddly makes no mention of the shoot or the home’s impending onscreen fame.
The movie features the residence extensively, with Marcus and Sasha’s rekindled romance playing out against the handsome backdrops of the dining room, the living room, the kitchen, the driveway, the owners’ suite, the entry foyer and the patio. Production designer Richard Toyon (who is also currently behind the look of the new HBO series “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty”) even appears to have incorporated some of the home’s actual furnishings into the shoot, including the kitchen bar stools and the dining table and chairs! So the recent buyers not only aquired “Always Be My Maybe’s” main filming location, but several of its set pieces, as well!