Hi °C | Lo °C Hollywood A-lister Heather Graham brought a little bit of Californian sunshine - and glamour - to the streets of Belfast yesterday.
The star of Boogie Nights and Austin Powers is in Northern Ireland to shoot the new £4.2m romantic comedy Buy Borrow Steal which tells the story of a 33-year-old woman determined to beat the biological clock.
Filming began about four weeks ago and since then Heather and the rest of the cast, including Mia Kirshner of The Black Dahlia and former EastEnders actor Tom Ellis, have stayed in the province, where they've been taking in the sights as well as working.
The romantic comedy, which received funding from the Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission (NIFTC), is set in London, but most of the production is taking place in and around Belfast.
Yesterday, University Square in the south of the city was the backdrop for one of the scenes in which Heather's character Georgina goes to a sperm bank, accompanied by her best friend Clem, played by Mia Kirshner.
Onlookers sat in the sunshine to watch the actresses at work, while a police patrol car, alerted to the scene following a complaint about a traffic hold-up, seemed more interested in meeting Heather.
Taking time out from shooting her scene Heather, whose family hail from Cork, said she was enjoying every moment of her visit to Northern Ireland and would definitely be recommending it to people back home.
"Today is such a gorgeous day and I'm very happy to be here," she said.
"I've been to Donegal and to Newcastle when we were shooting down there. That was really, really pretty and I went hiking in the Mourne Mountains.
"I always think fondly of Ireland, a lot of my family comes from Ireland. I came here about 10 years ago and went on a driving trip on the west coast. I thought it was beautiful. It has actually changed a lot in the last 10 years, it's a lot more expensive and the economy is booming."
Mia Kirshner said she had also fallen in love with Northern Ireland.
"I would say the people here are definitely the friendliest I've ever met," she said.
"I got terribly lost one day on a road trip to the Antrim coast and was by myself.
"I stopped off at a grocery shop and the man there gave me his telephone number and mobile number just in case. Then a taxi driver who knew I was interested in the Antrim coast gave me a book about it.
"I love this place."
Producer Doris Kirch said she was delighted she'd taken the risk to shoot the movie in Northern Ireland.
"When I told people I was coming here they asked me if we were insured, " she said.
"I must admit I was a bit sceptical but Andrew Reid of the NIFTC convinced me it was a good idea.
"It's very expensive and quite difficult to film in London, so it's worked out well here. The whole experience has been very positive and I hope to come back again."
