The Area Where Taylor Swift Filmed Her ‘Folklore’ Concert Is Home to Lots of Celebrities
Taylor Swift’s Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions debuted Nov. 25 on Disney+. The film featured Swift and collaborators Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff performing Folklore‘s 17 songs, marking the first time the pop star has performed the album for fans since its July 24 release.
The concert, which doubled as a documentary detailing the creative process behind each song, was filmed at Long Pond Studios in Hudson Valley, New York. Dessner, who’s part of the band The National, owns the studio. And while it’s located in a rural area of upstate New York, he’s not the only celebrity who has a residence in Hudson Valley.
Where is Long Pond Studios?
Long Pond Studios is located in upstate New York’s Hudson River Valley. Also known as the Hudson Valley, the area is sprawling and boasts many counties and small towns. The Hudson River flows through the entire area, hence its name.
With its easy access to commuter trains running right into Grand Central Station and its relatively short driving distance, it’s one of the closest suburban areas to New York City, making it a popular place for people to live while they commute into the city for work.
Given its picturesque views and convenient location close to one of the biggest cities for show business in the country, it should come as no surprise that a lot of celebrities call the Hudson Valley home.
Which celebrities live in Hudson Valley, New York?
While Swift is not a resident of the area (she owns property in NYC, Nashville, Tennessee, Watch Hill, Rhode Island, and Beverly Hills, California), she spent a lot of time filming Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions at Dessner’s studio. And she’s not the only celebrity to frequent the area.
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have lived in a small town outside of Bedford, New York, since 2012. According to E! News, they purchased “a sprawling estate” there for $5 million.
Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas have also been longtime Bedford residents, according to LoHud.com, a local Hudson news outlet.
Paul Rudd and Jeffrey Dean Morgan co-own a candy shop in Hudson Valley
In addition to their work in the entertainment industry, lots of celebrities are also involved in other business ventures.
For example, Paul Rudd, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Hilarie Burton co-own Samuel’s Sweets Shop in Rhinebeck, New York. Rudd and his family are longtime Hudson Valley residents, and Morgan and Burton own a farm in the area as well.
Also a Hudson Valley resident is Scarlett Johansson. According to Variety, the Avengers star purchased a $4 million home in Snedens Landing in Westchester, New York, in 2018.
Bruce Willis and wife Emma Heming Willis lived in Westchester, New York, with their two daughters, Mabel, 8, and Evelyn, 6, for four years before selling their estate in 2019. According to LoHud.com, Willis said they sold the home in order to move out west.
“The only reasons we are giving it up is because we are so far from our California family, which is why we have decided to return to the West Coast and make our home there,” he said.
The family of four did, indeed, move to California. In fact, Willis moved there earlier than his wife and daughters and ended up having to quarantine with ex-wife Demi Moore and their three daughters, Rumer Willis, Scout Willis, and Tallulah Willis, during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic lockdown.
The Hudson River Valley has become so popular among celebrities that it’s been referred to as the “New Hamptons,” according to Observer. Here are just some of the other famous faces who have called this suburban area of upstate New York their home over the years:
- Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy
- Glenn Close
- Martha Stewart
- Richard Gere
- Chevy Chase
- Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz
- David Letterman
- Bill Murray
- Ben Stiller
- Mikhail Baryshnikov
- Rosie O’Donnell
- Liev Schreiber
- Victor Garber
- Liam Neeson
- Björk
- Vanessa Williams
Suffice it to say that Swift was among familiar company when filming Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions.
