Fictionalized retellings of true stories seem to be modus operandi in Hollywood right now. Turn on your television and teasers for everything from NBC’s “The Thing About Pam” to Hulu’s “The Dropout” to HBO Max’s upcoming “The Staircase” inevitably flood your screen. And then there’s “WeCrashed” from Apple TV+, which hit the streamer in mid-March and, throughout the course of eight episodes, dramatizes the sordid tale behind the sensational rise and spectacular fall of WeWork, the shared office space startup founded by eccentric CEO Adam Neumann (Jared Leto) that was at one point valued at an incredible $47 billion!
While the beginning of each episode informs us that “WeCrashed” is “based on actual events,” the scripts do take quite a few liberties with certain storylines, at least according to the Wondery podcast that inspired the show. Neumann wasn’t physically present, for example, at the meeting in which the WeWork board ousted him as CEO, as was depicted in the series’ opening, but he instead attended virtually via video conferencing from his Gramercy Park home. Neither did he first encounter his wife, Rebekah (Anne Hathaway, in a role that seems tailor-made for her), at a rooftop soirée, as depicted in episode one. Their meet-cute was actually a blind date set up by a mutual friend. That same friend, Andrew Finkelstein, also came up with the WeWork name, not Adam as is purported onscreen. And Elishia Kennedy (America Ferrera) is not a real person but, per TheCinemaholic, is a fictional character partially modeled after SoulCycle co-founder Julie Rice, who worked briefly as WeWork’s Chief Brand Officer before being unceremoniously fired at the behest of Rebekah.
One storyline that was ripped from real life? The “‘Avatar’ moment,” as The Wrap dubbed it, in which Rebekah attends a costume party fundraiser for her children’s school dressed as a Na’vi. Though she is quite expertly outfitted in the segment, covered head to toe in blue paint and bedecked with a colorful array of beads and feathers, the stunning scenery behind her pulls some serious focus. Purported to take place in a spot named “The Ansley,” the fundraiser segment was actually lensed in the glorious marble-clad lobby of 43 Fifth Ave., a magnificent Beaux Arts-style cooperative in Greenwich Village that has long been popular with location scouts.
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Image Credit: Lindsay Blake Rising 11 stories above one of lower Fifth Ave.’s most idyllic and tony blocks, the gorgeous pre-war structure was designed by architect Henry Anderson in 1905. Initially a luxury apartment building, it was transitioned to a co-op in 1978.
Boasting handsome brickwork, wrought iron detailing, a central column of rounded bow windows and a two-story mansard roof, the site’s façade manages to stand out, even amongst the plethora of attractive buildings that surround it.
Featuring 42 units, which, per Daytonian in Manhattan, were originally marketed as “Parisian apartments,” the exclusive location offers such amenities as 10.5-foot ceilings, working fireplaces, formal entries, maid’s quarters, libraries, drawing rooms, a 24-hour doorman and two elevators.
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Image Credit: Brownstoner But it is the grand lobby that truly sets the place apart! Outfitted with floor-to-ceiling white marble, adorned with intricate bas relief sculptures and featuring two imposing carved staircases positioned at either end, the space is one of the most beautiful in all of New York!
A highly coveted address, units in 43 Fifth do not come up for sale very often. One of the penthouses, a three-bedroom, two-bath space, recently sold in October 2020 for $3.8 million. And a one-bedroom, two-bath unit hit the market in April 2021 at $2.199 million, but there do not appear to have been any takers and it was delisted this past January.
A longtime haven for NYC’s upper crust, the place has attracted its fair share of stars. The New York Post even deemed it “Fifth Ave.’s most celeb-infested building” in 2016! Just a few of the notables who have lived on the premises include Jennifer Jason Leigh, filmmaker Noah Baumbach, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Polly Draper, novelist/playwright Dawn Powell and Marlon Brando (who is said to have gone to quite unusual means to once force a roommate out). Unit 9E has proven especially fortuitous when it comes to famous inhabitants – both Julia Roberts and Holly Hunter have called it home at different points in time.
43 Fifth is also, of course, beloved by location managers.
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Image Credit: Sotheby’s International Realty It is against the intricately sculpted walls of the building’s lobby that Rebekah first meets fellow mom, Elishia, while waiting to get into their children’s school fundraiser in “WeCrashed’s” fourth episode, titled “4.4.” The chance encounter sets off a fast friendship between the two, which fizzles just as quickly thanks to a spectacular betrayal on Rebekah’s part.
Though its appearance is brief, the location certainly makes an impression, with the opulence of the space beautifully illustrating the elite world that the Neumanns and their children find themselves living in following Adam’s skyrocketing success with WeWork.
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Image Credit: Lindsay Blake The exterior of 43 Fifth also appears briefly, as Rebekah and Elishia are shown walking the streets of New York after grabbing a bite to eat together later in the episode, though, due to tight angles, not much of it can be seen.
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Image Credit: Universal Pictures Other productions to feature the building include the 1991 psychological thriller “A Kiss Before Dying,” in which it plays the home of killer Jonathan Corliss (Matt Dillon) and his wealthy unsuspecting young wife, Ellen Carlsson (Sean Young).
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Image Credit: Sony Pictures Classics It serves as the main location in the 2010 dark comedy “Please Give,” which sees residents Kate (Catherine Keener) and Alex (Oliver Platt) hoping to expand their living space by taking over the apartment of the aged woman next door.
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Image Credit: Paramount Pictures Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) lives at 43 Fifth in the 2003 hit romantic comedy “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” which was directed by Donald Petrie.
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Image Credit: 20th Century Studios Petrie also pegged the building to portray the home of Ashley Albright (Lindsay Lohan) at the beginning of his 2006 rom-com “Just My Luck.”
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Image Credit: Miramax Films Woody Allen is an even bigger fan of the building than Petrie, featuring it in no less than three of his movies. In a case of art imitating life, the director chose one of the apartment interiors to portray the residence of Von Sidell (Julia Roberts) in the 1996 musical “Everyone Says I Love You.”
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Image Credit: DreamWorks Pictures Four years later, Allen selected 43 Fifth to appear as the apartment building of cultured art dealer David (Hugh Grant) in his crime-comedy “Small Time Crooks.”
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Image Credit: Amazon Studios And wealthy divorcée Veronica Hayes (Blake Lively) lives there in his 2016 film, “Café Society.”
Talk about a repeat performance!