Hollywood is always ready for a reboot. Audiences, not so much! Case in point? “American Gigolo,” the new Showtime series based upon the 1980 movie of the same name, which debuted earlier this month to a less-than-welcome reception from critics, viewers and even the writer/director of the original film, Paul Schrader. As Ann Manov of The UnHerd reported, “A hodge-podge of sequel, prequel and remake, the show seems so singularly hellbent on destroying its source material that one wonders: why on Earth was it made? Schrader is apparently wondering, too: though credited as a ‘corporate consultant’ on the final product (his salary was $50,000), he has called the show a ‘terrible idea’ and vowed not to watch it. A wise choice. There has surely never been a more terrible remake.” Yikes!
Airing weekly through the end of October, the new series sees Jon Bernthal of “The Walking Dead” and “Daredevil” fame stepping into the designer shoes of high-priced male escort Julian Kaye, a role made famous by Richard Gere four decades prior. Told in part via flashbacks depicting scenes of Julian’s childhood, the storyline largely follows the character as he returns to normal life after a lengthy wrongful prison incarceration for a murder he didn’t commit. As was the case with the original film, the series is both set and filmed in Los Angeles, with scenes captured at The Hollywood Roosevelt hotel, the Santa Monica Pier and on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.
The sprawling residence where Julian’s longtime love Michelle Stratton (Gretchen Mol) lives with her husband, Richard (Leland Orser), and son, Colin (Gabriel LaBelle), is a standout, though. A masterpiece of design, the modern farmhouse-style property is a true star in its own right – so much so that it landed its “American Gigolo” gig less than a year after it was built!
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Image Credit: Tyler Hogan A cacophony of towering glass walls, handsome Shou-sugi-ban woodwork and concrete finishes, the two-story pad was completed in 2021 by architect Eran Gispan of Gispan Design and architectural designer Jae Omar. Situated like a beacon atop a rolling lot in Encino’s exclusive Royal Oaks neighborhood at 16041 Woodvale Rd., the dwelling recently hit the market at an undisclosed price and is currently under contract with new buyers. Repped by Sally Forster Jones of Compass and Adi Livyatan of Rodeo Realty, the magnificent structure boasts nine bedrooms and 13 baths in a colossal 19,500 square feet. (Please remember this is a private home. Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way.)
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Image Credit: Tyler Hogan Grounded in exquisite Japanese elements, the residence is known as ŌNIN in real life, named in honor of Japan’s mid-1400s Ōnin Era, which, per the official listing website, “represented a time of strife, turbulence, and hardship, leaving those involved at a juncture to either separate and wither, or come together and blossom. Ultimately, affinity won out, sparking a national evolution marked by a flourish of artistic expression.” As Omar explains, “The conclusion of such a somber era within Japan allowed for great forms of expression to spring forth, including some of the most identifiable pieces of Japanese art, teachings, poetry, and architecture. ŌNIN seamlessly fuses the spirit of this ancient Japanese era with the design aspects and contemporary architecture of today’s modern farmhouse.”
Endlessly minimalist while also flush with luxe amenities, Omar and Gispan raised design simplicity to an art form with their creation. Nowhere is this more evident than in the “Butterfly Pavilion,” a sublime double-height grand entry foyer lined with soaring floor-to-ceiling windows and featuring book-matched – or “butterflied” – slabs of marble and a dazzling glass sky bridge.
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Image Credit: Tyler Hogan Living spaces, almost too abundant to thoroughly catalog, include a fully-equipped gym, a game room, dual powder rooms (one with a vanity formed out of a 4,500-pound boulder), a theater boasting seating for 15 and a marble and live-edge white oak bar, and double kitchens (the main one a “first-class Molteni ‘Ratio’” affair fashioned by Vincent Van Duysen and “highlighted by natural smoked elm cabinetry and elegant stone surfaces with an alluring leathered finish,” per the listing website).
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Image Credit: Tyler Hogan A spa rivaling that of most resorts, complete with a steam room, a sauna, a cold plunge pool and a walk-in whirlpool spa, can also be found on the premises.
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Image Credit: Tyler Hogan Exterior amenities are equally as plush and plentiful. The 1.26-acre grounds are dotted with a 65-foot infinity pool with a waterfall, a sprawling wood deck with a “clustered boulder fireplace,” a large grassy expanse and courts for tennis, bocce ball and basketball. The property also boasts a one-bedroom, one-bath guest house and two three-car garages.
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Image Credit: Paramount Television -
Image Credit: Tyler Hogan ŌNIN initially pops up in “American Gigolo’s” third episode, “Rapture.” Interestingly, a different residence was utilized as Michelle’s in episodes one and two – a circumstance that isn’t all that uncommon in the early stages of a series as a production team irons out wrinkles and secures its footing, with schedules, budgets and locations often having to be swapped. In this case, the change-up seems like a no-brainer. While the original Stratton home also boasts a modern aesthetic, it is nowhere near as visually stunning as ŌNIN.
The abode is showcased to remarkable effect in the episode, with scenes captured in the Butterfly Pavilion, the kitchen and the primary suite. The latter, a luxurious enclave pictured from a differing angle above, is a massive space measuring in at a whopping 3,500 square feet with a soaring vaulted ceiling, built-in louvered shelving, a marble fireplace and an adjacent courtyard.
Cinematic through and through, ŌNIN appears tailor-made for the screen. The structure is sure to attract countless future filmmakers, bringing with them a definite financial boon for the new buyers.