Can you start by telling me where this island exists, in real life?
The island is a fictitious island, which comes from a need to make it exclusive as well as geographically weird and mysterious—nobody knows where it is, and it’s difficult to escape because you can’t just leave. There’s this comment: “There are no doctors on this island.” We needed to invent it, and we went for not an island at all. In a previous draft, there were more scenes on the beach, but we turned out not to need it. We went for an existing location, a hacienda in the jungle, and we changed it so that it would not be recognizable.
It was Zoë who first suggested it, when we were scouting all over and went to the Yucatán, that we go for a place with a bit more history. It would give Channing’s character a bit more depth—not just a rich kid, but someone who is into culture and history. We got inspiration from several haciendas, and at the end we had to choose just one.
And which one was that?
We chose Temazon Sur, which is a hacienda about an hour-and-a-half south of Mérida, where we would stay. We would also sometimes stay in Temazon Sur in various groups—first, we had a construction crew to make changes, then the set decoration crew, then producers and assistant directors, and by the time we were shooting, it was just the actors and I was happy because it was a long time to be staying in the jungle and Mérida offers wonderful places to eat and great jazz clubs.
What was it about Temazon Sur that spoke to you, and what did you want to bring to it?
We wanted to use a lot of red as a base, and this hacienda was all red outside with nice little white accents. We also liked that this particular hacienda had produced hennequin plants, which are used to make ropes and fibers. And, in the film, the island produces a very unique and special flower so that was a nice thread.
