Co-starring in Malcolm & Marie, the stunning Monterey County home where the movie is set – SF Chronicle Datebook

Caterpillar House is the first custom home on Californias Central Coast designated LEED Platinum, the highest rating for sustainability from U.S. Green Building Council. Photo: Joe Fletcher

Movie producers like Ashley Levinson are used to high-stress multitasking. Yet making sure a cast and crew stayed safe and healthy during a clandestine shoot in the midst of the deadly coronavirus pandemic was an entirely new degree of challenge for Levinson, one of the principal backers of Malcolm & Marie, which was written and directed by her husband, Sam.I dont think I slept through the night until two weeks after we wrapped shooting, said Levinson, reflecting on the high-wire act of pulling together the intimate new Netflix drama out Friday, Feb. 5, which was filmed over 14 days near Carmel over the summer to become one of the first films to wrap production during the pandemic.

When Sam Levinson and Zendaya both concerned about the forced time off from filming their HBO drama series Euphoria hatched the idea of making a movie while the entertainment industry was on lockdown, using pods and bubbles to prevent the virus spread were not yet familiar concepts. The NBA successful experiment of playing all its games in Orlando hadnt even started.

First off, we had to immerse ourselves in learning as much as we could about how the virus is transmitted and figure out, could we even do this safely? Ashley Levinson said. We wouldnt have done it if we didnt have doctors telling us that what we were doing was safe.

Zendaya takes on a mature role and an ownership stake in her new movie Malcolm & Marie

She knew a high-level epidemiologist who had been in Wuhan, China, where the pandemic began, and his findings informed the protocols the producers devised: pre-shoot quarantining, regular coronavirus testing, everyone in protective equipment, and a promise from everyone involved not to leave (the set) once we arrived, Levinson said.

Although they discussed shooting in Zendayas or the Levinsons home, Los Angeles wasnt issuing permits (to shoot) because the (COVID-19) numbers were so high, Levinson said, so we started looking at various places we could get to with one tank of gas, to eliminate as many stops as possible.

Monterey County was the only place in California at the time allowing shoots on private properties. So it had to be Carmel, Levinson said.

Production designer Michael Grasley, who also works on Euphoria, researched contemporary homes along the Central Coast that would fit the films aesthetic goals: a midcentury, open-plan property that would pop on screen in black and white.

San Francisco architect Jonathan Feldmans stunning, eco-conscious, rammed earth-and-glass Caterpillar House, on 33 acres in the private Santa Lucia Preserve, fit the bill.

Review: Zendaya tears into John David Washington in riveting, dramatic Malcolm & Marie

While Malcolm & Marie has just two roles, a feuding couple played by Zendaya and John David Washington, the glamorous house in which the entire movie takes place became effectively the movies third character.

Feldman studied film and thought of being a filmmaker before pivoting to architecture, so its fitting that the stunning residence has a natural cinematic quality, with huge south-facing sliding windows framing views of the rolling hills.

Caterpillar House is the first custom home on Californias Central Coast designated LEED Platinum, the highest rating for sustainability from the U.S. Green Building Council. It is built with 2-foot-thick earthen walls, from dirt excavated from the site during construction.

Its a glass box, all about its connection to nature, to natural light, Feldman said. Yet, shot at night, it somehow became even more monumental, looming, even moody in a way that really fit the story (of) this couple isolated from the rest of the world. It was really exciting to see how well the house lent itself to that.

We knew we wouldnt have to do that much to make it look great, Levinson said. The house was ideal. Its a work of art itself.

Everyone working on the film lodged at the nearby Carmel Valley Ranch, which closed due to the pandemic and had standalone buildings for everyone with their own HVAC systems so we wouldnt be cross-contaminating anyone that could potentially be sick, Levinson said.They limited the cast and crew to just 22 people far fewer than a typical set. The lean team meant we got really crafty with every element of the film, Levinson said. We brought stuff from our own houses. Our personal pillows were there. Zendaya brought her own clothing (and did her own hair and makeup). We borrowed a friends bed. We kept some of the owners belongings. It was a case of eliminating how many things we needed from the outside world.

They rehearsed in a parking lot and did outdoor camera tests, too. A San Francisco chef prepared meals with produce from Monterey-area farmers.

There were so many things you wouldnt have thought of, she said. I mean, if someone wanted a cup of coffee, you couldnt have different people getting it. Things you would never think of normally.

Levinson says the experience of making Malcolm & Marie with collaborators all invested in one anothers safety and equity (crew members are shareholders in the films profit structure, with future proceeds donated to Feeding America) convinced her that we might want some of these positive changes to stick around in post-pandemic productions.

Its the most proud Ive ever been of the process, being a part of a community of people that you respect so much, with every single person really looking after each other, she said. I feel enormous gratitude for the fact that we were able to make a film that were so proud of, make it in the way that we did and also give back.

Malcolm & Marie (R) begins streaming on Netflix on Friday, Feb. 5.

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Co-starring in Malcolm & Marie, the stunning Monterey County home where the movie is set - SF Chronicle Datebook