Budapest has become a go-to filming location, not just for its versatile period architecture but also due to its highly experienced crews, extensive sets, and post-production capabilities.
It is no longer a rarity to spot a popular Hungarian site or location in films; you can even hear Hungarian being spoken, while if you stick around for the credits, don’t be surprised if you see a slew of Hungarian names.
Hungarian news portal Magyar Nemzet rounded up some celebrity commentary on beautiful Budapest. We have included some top ones here below.
Ryan Reynolds, who brought his family to the shoot of Mayday, posted on social media: “I loved every second of working in Budapest. Many people call it the ‘Hawaii of Central Europe,’ and although no one really calls it that, the weather is beautiful, beautiful, and endlessly fascinating.”
Angelina Jolie had filmed in Budapest before, and returned for Maria, as the production needed a location that could double as Paris and had a “fantastic opera house.”
“I loved filming in Budapest. I was very happy to be back,” she told Népszava. “The city was stunning, the Hungarian crew was amazing, and he (the director) was in for a great experience,” Jolie added.
Attending a soccer match while filming Terminal, Margot Robbie said, “Hungarians are so relaxed.”
“They didn’t make a big deal out of it, they didn’t start acting weird, they didn’t harass me. They came over, we chatted for a bit, then I said it was my day off, I was here with my friends, and they absolutely respected that,” she told Recorder.
“This city is like a hidden jewel: beautiful and strong! It is a wonderful mix of its thousand-year history and the modern spirit that pulsates in it today. Fortunately, I was able to enjoy its hospitality for a long time,” Will Smith said about his time in Budapest filming Gemini Man.
Last year was the first time I came to Budapest to film; since then I’ve been to the city three times and I fell in love with it,” told Metropol at the time.
In one scene, Smith reportedly says the word “Vajdahunyad” once, but could never say it again. “I swear I tried really hard, but Hungarian is simply so different from any other language that the words don’t stick in my head,” he joked.
Smith famously also held a birthday concert in front of the basilica and even climbed to the top of the Chain Bridge to film a World Cup music video with Hungarian freestyle soccer players.
Jennifer Lawrence told Hollywood reporter Aniko Návai, “I’m a fan of Budapest, you can’t imagine how much. We kept joking that if there was a second part of this movie, we’d shoot it in Budapest as if it were Los Angeles. Usually it’s the other way around.”
“We all had a great time. The people are lovely, the culture is special, the city is beautiful,” the Red Sparrow star said.
Christopher Walken, who returned to filming after a four-year break with the sequel to Dune, said that one of the reasons he took on the film was so he could come to Budapest, which he called “a beautiful city.” Co-stars Austin Butler and Florence Pugh also raved about it.
Tom Hanks told Anikó Návai that San Francisco is the most beautiful city in the world, but Budapest is no less, with mountains on one side, plains on the other, and the Danube in the middle, as he described it.
“There is nothing like this anywhere in the world. I was amazed by the sight, by the fact that they live so safely here. I brought this moment, this sight with me from the magically beautiful Budapest,” the Inferno star said. He also surprisingly said he ate the best Mexican food here.
Hanks also revealed that Dan Brown, who wrote the Robert Langdon novels, was greatly inspired by Budapest and wants to return. The capital’s Chain Bridge and the Dohany Street Synagogue appear in the fifth Robert Langdon novel.
Having filmed Spy in Hungary, Jason Statham said, “We love Budapest, I wish I could be there right now! It was so good in Budapest, the people are so nice. I have so many beautiful memories of the city, I haven’t felt as good on set as I did there in at least 10 years.”
Magyar Nemzet points out a scene in the film in which Statham’s character thinks Lake Balaton is a sea. Hungarians in fact call it “the Hungarian Sea.”
