Church bells and Hollywood cameras: ‘Ella McCay’ films in Cranston church

CRANSTON – When crews filming the Hollywood movie "Ella McCay" shut down a Pawtucket neighborhood on Monday, it was not the first time the production moved into the Providence suburbs.

Less than a week earlier, Twentieth Century Studios filmed scenes at Cranston's Woodridge Congregational Church, according to members of the church.

"The minister met Jamie Lee Curtis," said Grant Southard, a volunteer who handles building and grounds matters for the Jackson Road Church.

Dan Blackford, the church's administrative assistant, said the one-day shoot, on April 16, was low-key. "They got started very early in the morning," he said. "I didn't notice any neighbors gathering."

More: University Heights residents get a front-row seat to movie making thanks to 'Ella McCay'

Blackford, who said the studio shot wedding scenes, was told that producers had looked at many churches across Rhode Island before choosing Woodridge.

Southard said the movie used four areas for filming: the church's sanctuary; a connector between the sanctuary building and the church hall; outside doors to the connector and the playground of a daycare that rents space from the church.

The crew repainted the walls in the connector, changing them from white to beige. "Nothing crazy," said Southard. "They were easy to work with."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Cranston's Woodridge Congregational Church has role in Ella McCay