Where Was Holland Filmed? Nicole Kidman Movie's Filming Locations Explained

Nicole Kidman's new thriller Holland, now streaming on Prime Video, is set in and based on the real town of Holland, Michigan—but where was it actually filmed? In Holland, Nicole Kidman plays Nancy Vandergroot, a wife and mother who is growing increasingly disillusioned with her small-town life, particularly because she begins to suspect her husband, Fred (Matthew Macfadyen), is cheating on her. The Holland ending reveals that something much more insidious is actually taking place, adding to the suspenseful nature of the film.

Since its release several weeks ago, Holland has had a bit of a difficult reception, with Holland's Rotten Tomatoes critic score currently sitting at a disappointing 29%. While it therefore isn't likely to be considered one of Nicole Kidman's best movies and TV shows, the setting of the movie is absolutely stunning. However, despite the setting of the movie being the titular town of Holland, Michigan, the filming locations for Holland aren't exactly what one might expect.

Ironically, Holland Was Primarily Filmed In Nashville, Tennessee

The Movie's Focus Was Entirely On Holland, But That Wasn't Where Most Of The Movie Was Filmed

Nancy Vandergroot (Nicole Kidman) with a surprised expression in Holland

As the title of the movie makes clear, Holland is centered on the real-life town of Holland, Michigan. This is so much more than just a setting, though. The intro and outro of the movie include a voice-over by Nicole Kidman, during which she talks about how lucky she feels to live in a place like Holland. In addition to that, several key plot points tie into the town and culture of Holland.

Holland, Michigan, is therefore integral to the story of Holland, but most of the movie was actually filmed in Nashville, Tennessee. In fact, all but two days of filming and one key scene later on in the movie took place in Nashville, which is also where the starring actress, Kidman, happens to live with her husband and kids. Whether or not this proximity played a role is unclear, but it does mean that most of the movie wasn't actually in Holland at all.

Nicole Kidman looks down and out of frame in Holland

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Among the scenes filmed in Nashville were the interior scenes of Nancy's house; however, those scenes weren't entirely devoid of connection to the real Holland. Evidently, to add to the realistic feeling of the movie's setting, director of Holland Mimi Cave and production designer JC Molina visited the real Holland for inspiration, particularly pertaining to Nancy's house. They then used what they saw in Holland to identify a house in Nashville that would work for the movie.

Holland, Michigan, Was A Filming Location... But Only Briefly

Only Two Days Of Filming Took Place In The Real Holland, Michigan

As mentioned, Holland, Michigan, was not a primary filming location for Holland, despite how important that setting is to the movie. Considerably more filming in Holland had originally been the plan. Earlier on in production, an entire week was going to be dedicated to filming in the real Holland, but when filming dates in Holland were adjusted from a whole week to just 48 hours, that changed, much to the disappointment of local businesses and residents, who had hoped to be featured in the movie.

Windmill Island Gardens was one notable Holland, Michigan, filming location.

There were other ways Holland honored the real place, though, in addition to making sure the aesthetic for filming in Tennessee matched the town. For example, during the scenes involving Holland's iconic Tulip Time festival (which shockingly wasn't filmed in Holland), Holland used archival footage from actual previous festivals. Even so, it's a bit of a surprise to learn just how little was actually filmed in Michigan for the movie.

It's a bit of a surprise to learn just how little was actually filmed in Michigan for the movie.

Clarksville, Tennessee, Was Also A Filming Location

Another Tennessee Location Was Used For A Key Scene

Gael Garcia Bernal and Nicole Kidman in Holland

The third and final filming location for Holland was where the Tulip Time festival was actually filmed. Clarksville, Tennessee, about an hour from the main filming location of Nashville, was used as the location for the festival (outside the archival footage that was used). Unlike the people and businesses of Holland, who were disappointed with this shift, many in Clarksville were excited to learn that Holland would be using locals as extras in the movie.

The festival itself was filmed on Clarksville's historic Franklin Street. To make this scene work, some storefronts were given alternate names to better reflect the Holland, Michigan, setting and the era (the 1980s). Tulips were also added to the scenes during the festival to suit the real festival in Holland.

The festival itself was filmed on Clarksville's historic Franklin Street.

Although critics are divided on Holland, the sets are visually stunning. This only works all the better for the plot, as well, which is meant to juxtapose the beauty and seeming serenity of small-town life with the horrors lurking beneath the surface—something that Holland certainly didn't invent but nevertheless did execute relatively well. Even so, it's surprising to learn that Holland didn't really use the real-life Holland, Michigan, as a main filming location.