Soderbergh films protest scenes in Seattle on streets that still endure ongoing riots

Hollywood hit the streets of Seattle on Monday to start filming protest scenes for the upcoming Steven Soderbergh featured-film, Kimi. The HBO Max thriller, stars Zoe Kravitz; an agoraphobic tech worker who discovers evidence of a crime.

The films production team sent out a request for extras to film protest scenes Downtown Seattle, specifically in Westlake Park and Pine Street between fourth and fifth avenue.

The casting director, Rich King, said he was looking to cast 2,000 extras including; police officers, protesters, and everyday citizens.

The plot of the film reads, "During the COVID-19 pandemic in Seattle, an agorophobic tech worker discovers evidence of a violent crime while reviewing a data stream, and is met with resistance and bureaucracy when she tries reporting it to her company. To get involved, she realizes she must face her greatest fear by venturing out of her apartment and into the city streets, which are filled with protestors after the city council passes a law restricting the movements of the homeless population."

However, the day didn’t go as planned due to Seattle’s sunny spring weather. According to The Seattle Times, film crews sat around all day waiting to film protest scenes with 1,500 casted volunteers. They were waiting for cloud coverage to get the right ambiance, but skies remained sunny throughout the day and they couldn’t film as they desired.

The crews allegedly were able to film a quick protest scene in Downtown Seattle’s Westlake Park (when there was minimal cloud coverage) and decided to use a hose to give off the impression that it had rained.

Productions began filming interior scenes for the movie earlier this spring in Los Angeles, but since the film is based in Seattle, exterior scenes will be filmed throughout the week. It’s unclear how the film will choose to portray the Seattle protest scene after the city has been at the forefront of nightly violent protests that include a plethora of criminal activity.

It’s also worth noting that the movie is centered around the homeless population, which gives off another avenue for protests as members of the community, including Antifa, use violence and intimidation against the Seattle Police Department when the city tries to clear homeless encampments—a large aspect of the film. It's also unclear how this will be depicted in the film.

Productions for Kimi are set to continue Downtown Seattle throughout the week, although it’s unclear where filming locations will be due to heightened security and minimal information give to press.