Westworld Has Taken Over New York City, Much to the Surprise of New Yorkers

Westworld, which started out life as a desert-shot Western with a Science Fiction twist, is back for another season and it is taking over the decidedly non-Western locale of New York City. No, seriously, the filming of the HBO show’s fourth season is filming downtown and New Yorkers, many of whom maybe only made it a few episodes into season two, are just as confused trying to get around the set as they were by elements of the show’s most recent seasons. You would think Manhattanites would be used to walking by movie and TV sets considering the amount of productions that are constantly in the works across the city, but the large expanse that the Westworld set has taken over in SoHo has seemingly left many unsure of how to proceed. One woman even walked right into the middle of a trippy-looking scene, only to realize when she was already surrounded by actors. Of course, as a true New Yorker would, the woman just kept on walking and the incident was caught on camera and obviously put on TikTok.

More confusion came from fans seeing Evan Rachel Wood back on set, considering her fate at the end of the previous season. The actress wore a structured teal jacket with a belt bag cinching her waist as she filmed some scenes. Also spotted were costars Ed Harris and Tessa Thompson, who had a chat while Thompson literally sat on a chair made up of three humans. The actors don’t seem to be filming as they are in casual clothes and Thompson’s chair people are wearing masks. Are they rehearsing something? Are they recreating Dua Lipa’s “New Rules” video? What, exactly, is going on?