Los AngelesShanghaifilmed 2012 · released 2013
Sixty per cent Shanghai, forty per cent Los Angeles: roughly the mix one account of the shoot gives. Left, Walt Disney Concert Hall (Leviclancy, CC0); right, Pudong at dusk (Lloyd Tudor, CC BY-SA 4.0). On the walkway: Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams at the New York Film Festival, October 2013, and Scarlett Johansson in Toronto, September 2013.
Pudong, Shanghai · two weeks
Jonze was drawn by Shanghai’s futuristic feel; by one account he put about 60 per cent of the film’s look down to the city. The crew never shot recognisable landmarks, so it is hard to identify on screen.
Jonze first wanted to film among the skyscrapers of Shanghai; without studio money he shot mostly in Los Angeles, and Barrett and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema blended the two cities. The production went to Shanghai’s Pudong district for two weeks to film skyscraper exteriors and elevated walkways.
Many of the film’s aerial skyline shots were filmed in Lujiazui. The ring bridge was unveiled around 2011. It stands about 5.5 metres up, fits 15 people walking side by side, and lets pedestrians avoid the traffic at the roundabout at the end of Lujiazui Road.
The five-cornered plaza, Yangpu District
A Shanghai resident identified the roundabout-centred area of Wujiaochang in a view about halfway through the film. Wujiaochang means five-cornered plaza: five roads meet at its roundabout, which was rebuilt in the 2000s around an underground plaza that connects to all five streets.
A public plaza and shopping district. Wujiaochang station on Metro Line 10 opens straight into it.
Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai
A 950-room hotel in Lujiazui, a walk from the Oriental Pearl Tower and the IFC Mall, looking across the Huangpu to the Bund.
Check roomsPudong, Shanghai
Live marketplace results for guided walks and night tours round Lujiazui, where the film found its skyline and walkways.
Live marketplace results · itineraries change
Compare toursThe signature · Pudong’s walkways
Production designer K.K. Barrett said Pudong’s elevated walkways let you go from building to building without ever crossing an intersection. Lay a walkway across each street and watch what happens to the traffic.
Los Angeles
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Shanghai
Lujiazui’s walkways
Los Angeles
One Wilshire
Los Angeles
Pacific Design Center
Five buildings, four streets full of traffic. You are on the roof of Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Towers: Walt Disney Concert Hall (Leviclancy, CC0); Lujiazui’s walkways (DXR, CC BY-SA 4.0); One Wilshire (Frederick Dennstedt, CC BY-SA 2.0); Wujiaochang (Jianhui Gong, CC BY-SA 4.0); Pacific Design Center (Tony Mariotti, CC BY 2.0).
Downtown, West Hollywood, Hollywood
The film’s subway, the Summit to the Sea line, is far more extensive than anything the city has, with several stops at LAX. The rest of the city is real. Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema kept the colour blue out of it as far as he could, so look for warm light and red.
111 South Grand Avenue, Downtown
Disney Hall is one of the Los Angeles landmarks sharp-eyed Angelenos can spot in Her. Frank Gehry designed the hall, the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. It opened on 23 October 2003.
Free self-guided audio tours most days, about an hour, from the Grand Avenue lobby; start times vary, so check first. Concert-goers can join the LA Phil Insiders’ tour on some dates.
8687 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood
The Pacific Design Center stood in for the entrance to Theodore’s apartment building.
Building hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm; the lobbies show art, and there is a café. The red, green and blue buildings are easy to see from Melrose Avenue.
624 South Grand Avenue, Downtown
Los Angeles magazine named One Wilshire among the downtown landmarks you can spot in the film’s future city. Skidmore, Owings and Merrill designed the thirty-storey tower, built in 1966. Today it is mainly a telecommunications hub, called the most highly connected internet point in the western United States.
An office building; look up at it from Wilshire Boulevard and Grand Avenue. There is no public access inside.
5450 Hollywood Boulevard, at Western Avenue
Hollywood/Western Metro station is among the landmarks you can spot in Her. The station is under Hollywood Boulevard at Western Avenue, on the B Line, and opened on 12 June 1999. May Sun designed its finishes; two Pacific Electric Red Car sculptures hang over the platform.
A working Metro B Line station under Hollywood Boulevard; ride a train to see the platform.
The blue: van Hoytema sought to eliminate the colour as much as possible, because he felt it was too closely tied to science fiction.
Hoyte van Hoytema shot Her and tried to take out blue.
111 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles · Free
A free self-guided audio tour of about an hour, most days, from the Grand Avenue lobby. Start times vary.
See tour timesDowntown Los Angeles
Live marketplace results for guided walks round downtown, past Disney Hall and the Grand Avenue towers.
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Compare toursTheodore’s job
Theodore works for a firm whose professional writers compose personal letters for people who can’t write them themselves. Write one to the places he goes for love.
Theodore works for a business that hires professional writers to compose letters for people.
The hand
To
Dear Dockweiler,
He came to you by train, on a Metro line that runs further than any real one does.
You have fire rings, volleyball nets and room for more than a hundred campers. Nobody needs to explain why he chose you.
With love, from someone who wrote this for someone else
To the beach, in a round hand.
12001 Vista del Mar, Playa del Rey
Theodore takes the Metro to Dockweiler Beach for a date with Samantha. The beach has restrooms, showers, picnic areas, fire rings and volleyball nets, and an RV campground with more than 100 full hook-up spaces.
A public county beach with restrooms, showers, fire rings and volleyball nets; lifeguards in daylight hours. Over 1,200 parking spaces nearby.
Colorado Avenue at Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica
Santa Monica Pier was used for a date. The pier has stood since 1909. It was first built as a public utility for the city and is a National Historic Landmark.
Free to walk on; Pacific Park’s rides, games and the Pacific Wheel are on the pier.
12001 Vista del Mar, Playa del Rey · $45 to $75 a night, plus a $10 booking fee
Park up on the beach Theodore takes the train to. Full hook-up sites by row, and dry camper sites with no water or power. Reservations only; no walk-ins.
Book a site
3400 Warner Boulevard, Burbank
Her was filmed mainly in Los Angeles, including on the Warner Bros. backlot.
The Studio Tour takes three hours, partly guided and partly self-guided, and starts from $79.
A working studio. You go in on the Studio Tour, from $79, daily 8.30am to 3.30pm; check the closures before you book.
3400 Warner Boulevard, Burbank · From $79
Three hours on the Burbank lot where Her filmed scenes, partly guided and partly on your own. Tours run 8.30am to 3.30pm.
Book a tourNew York, Toronto, Hollywood · 2013–2014
Joaquin PhoenixTheodore Twombly
Amy AdamsAmy
Rooney MaraCatherine
Scarlett JohanssonSamantha (voice)
Spike Jonzewriter and director
Every portrait was taken in autumn 2013, as the film reached its first audiences. Samantha Morton first voiced Samantha, from a booth on set; in post-production the role was recast with Scarlett Johansson, who won Best Actress at the 8th Rome Film Festival that November for a performance you never see.
Cast and roles of Her; Samantha Morton voiced Samantha on set and Scarlett Johansson recast the role in post-production; Johansson won Best Actress at the 8th Rome International Film Festival.
Johansson’s Best Actress award was for a voice-only performance.
The Film Stage: Scarlett Johansson earns first Best Actress award for voice-only performance
Broadway between 62nd and 66th Streets, Manhattan
Her had its world premiere as the closing film of the 2013 New York Film Festival, on 12 October 2013. Film at Lincoln Center presented that year’s festival, which ran from 27 September to 13 October.
Alice Tully Hall, which hosts New York Film Festival events, opened in 1969 and seats 1,086; Diller Scofidio + Renfro and FXFOWLE finished its renovation in 2009.
The plazas are open to walk. Alice Tully Hall stands at 1941 Broadway, on the corner of 65th Street.
6801 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood
The 86th Academy Awards took place at the Dolby Theatre on 2 March 2014, and Spike Jonze won Best Original Screenplay for Her. Her was nominated in five categories, including Best Picture. Jonze also won the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay.
On Hollywood Boulevard. The theatre runs guided tours that include an Oscar statuette; check the schedule on its site.
The joined city
11 places you can visit, in Los Angeles, The coast, Shanghai and New York. One Wilshire and the Warner Bros. lot are seen from outside unless you take the studio tour.
Pins mark public places; private homes are named but not pinned.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Free self-guided audio tours most days, about an hour, from the Grand Avenue lobby; start times vary, so check first. Concert-goers can join the LA Phil Insiders’ tour on some dates.
General reference · Restricted access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. An office building; look up at it from Wilshire Boulevard and Grand Avenue. There is no public access inside.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Building hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm; the lobbies show art, and there is a café. The red, green and blue buildings are easy to see from Melrose Avenue.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A working Metro B Line station under Hollywood Boulevard; ride a train to see the platform.
General reference · Restricted access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A working studio. You go in on the Studio Tour, from $79, daily 8.30am to 3.30pm; check the closures before you book.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. On Hollywood Boulevard. The theatre runs guided tours that include an Oscar statuette; check the schedule on its site.
111 South Grand Avenue, Downtown
Disney Hall is one of the Los Angeles landmarks sharp-eyed Angelenos can spot in Her.
Free self-guided audio tours most days, about an hour, from the Grand Avenue lobby; start times vary, so check first. Concert-goers can join the LA Phil Insiders’ tour on some dates.
624 South Grand Avenue, Downtown
Los Angeles magazine named One Wilshire among the downtown landmarks you can spot in the film’s future city.
An office building; look up at it from Wilshire Boulevard and Grand Avenue. There is no public access inside.
8687 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood
The Pacific Design Center stood in for the entrance to Theodore’s apartment building.
Building hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm; the lobbies show art, and there is a café. The red, green and blue buildings are easy to see from Melrose Avenue.
5450 Hollywood Boulevard, at Western Avenue
Hollywood/Western Metro station is among the landmarks you can spot in Her.
A working Metro B Line station under Hollywood Boulevard; ride a train to see the platform.
3400 Warner Boulevard, Burbank
Her was filmed mainly in Los Angeles, including on the Warner Bros. backlot.
A working studio. You go in on the Studio Tour, from $79, daily 8.30am to 3.30pm; check the closures before you book.
6801 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood
The 86th Academy Awards took place at the Dolby Theatre on 2 March 2014, and Spike Jonze won Best Original Screenplay for Her.
On Hollywood Boulevard. The theatre runs guided tours that include an Oscar statuette; check the schedule on its site.
Stay
A county campsite on Dockweiler beach, and a hotel a walk from the Lujiazui ring.
12001 Vista del Mar, Playa del Rey · $45 to $75 a night, plus a $10 booking fee
Park up on the beach Theodore takes the train to. Full hook-up sites by row, and dry camper sites with no water or power. Reservations only; no walk-ins.
Book a siteLujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai
A 950-room hotel in Lujiazui, a walk from the Oriental Pearl Tower and the IFC Mall, looking across the Huangpu to the Bund.
Check roomsGo there
The Warner Bros. lot, a free audio tour of Disney Hall, and guided walks in Pudong and downtown Los Angeles.
3400 Warner Boulevard, Burbank · From $79
Three hours on the Burbank lot where Her filmed scenes, partly guided and partly on your own. Tours run 8.30am to 3.30pm.
Book a tour111 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles · Free
A free self-guided audio tour of about an hour, most days, from the Grand Avenue lobby. Start times vary.
See tour timesPudong, Shanghai
Live marketplace results for guided walks and night tours round Lujiazui, where the film found its skyline and walkways.
Live marketplace results · itineraries change
Compare toursDowntown Los Angeles
Live marketplace results for guided walks round downtown, past Disney Hall and the Grand Avenue towers.
Live marketplace results · itineraries change
Compare toursWhat’s on
The festival that gave Johansson Best Actress for Samantha runs its 21st edition in October 2026.
Checking current event dates…
Take it home
An original US one-sheet, the score on vinyl, and two books by Alan Watts.
An original 2013 US one-sheet, 27 × 40 inches, rolled, near mint.
Sold out · archive reference
View posterArcade Fire · 12-inch vinyl, Milan, 2021
The film’s score on vinyl, released in March 2021.
Live marketplace search · listings and condition change
Find a copyAlan Watts · Vintage
By the philosopher the film’s operating systems model a new companion on.
Find the bookAlan Watts · Vintage
Watts again, on the self and the world as one thing.
Find the bookDates, prices, rooms and stock change: confirm with the provider before you travel or buy. A stay or tour is described as a filming location only where the card says so.
Every place and moment behind this page, with sources.
11 of 11 places · 12 of 12 Moments
The ring walkway over the Mingzhu roundabout, Pudong
Lujiazui’s towers fill the film’s aerial views of a future Los Angeles.
Theodore walks raised walkways from building to building; the street and its cars never appear.
The five-cornered plaza, Yangpu District
Wujiaochang’s roundabout appears in a view about halfway through the film.
111 South Grand Avenue, Downtown
Disney Hall shows in Theodore’s city.
624 South Grand Avenue, Downtown
One Wilshire stands in the future downtown.
8687 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood
The Pacific Design Center plays the entrance to Theodore’s apartment building.
5450 Hollywood Boulevard, at Western Avenue
Hollywood/Western appears on the film’s far bigger subway.
Colorado Avenue at Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica
Santa Monica Pier is used for a date.
12001 Vista del Mar, Playa del Rey
Theodore rides the Metro to Dockweiler for a date with Samantha.
3400 Warner Boulevard, Burbank
Scenes are filmed on the Warner Bros. backlot.
6801 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood
Spike Jonze wins Best Original Screenplay.
Broadway between 62nd and 66th Streets, Manhattan
Her closes the New York Film Festival with its world premiere.
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