HBO Show On Chef Julia Child Films At Waltham's Wilson's Diner

WALTHAM, MA —Lights and cameras and directors chairs showed up in Waltham this week to film for an HBO show based on the life of famous chef Julia Child. The show filmed at Wilson's Diner Monday.

Mayor Jeannette McCarthy told Patch there was a request earlier this week to film for two days at Wilson’s Diner.

Producers and crew members were seen wearing masks walking in and out of the diner. A police detail asked passersby not to get too close.

The series takes place in Cambridge in the 1950s and 1960s and was set to begin filming in Worcester back in March, but that got pushed back because of the pandemic. This month filming got started in Worcester and in Waltham at the historic Wilson's Diner on Main Street.

According to fliers distributed around the neighborhood, Lionsgate is behind filming "a new television pilot, based on the beloved chef, Julia Child."

Child was one of the first women to host a cooking program on television in the 1960s, providing tips and lessons on how to prepare French food simply and easily. She popularized the genre and became a beloved public figure, recognized for her pragmatism and distinct voice. She died in 2004.

British actress Sarah Lancashire is set to play Child. Tom Hollander, Brittany Bradford, Bebe Neuwirth and Isabella Rossellini are also among the cast in “Julia," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The pilot is written and produced by Daniel Goldfarb and directed by Charles McDougall.

Wilson's Diner was built by the Worcester Lunch Car Company and given a small red placard stamped with the number 819 over the entrance. It's been on the very spot where it sits since it the diner car company delivered it in March 1949.

Patch has reached out to Lionsgate's location manager.

Read more: Wilson's Diner To Change Hands After More Than 30 Years...

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how .