Daphne Tomchak was living a quiet life in the residential neighborhood of Montlake in Seattle, WA. The unemployed architect was pleasantly surprised this spring when she received a knock on her front door offering her an opportunity to ”hitch her wagon to a star” - a Hollywood star, that is.
Producers of a new film titled “The Details” wanted to use Tomchak’s 1914 house as the setting for their movie. The cast for the film included Laura Linney (”The Truman Show”) and James McAvoy (”The Last King of 
Scotland”). The storyline for the film was a bit bizarre, but remember: this is Hollywood. McAvoy and Linney play a couple whose home and yard comes under attack by raccoons. Billed as a “dark comedy,” producers found several elements of Tomchak’s home to be ideal for their vision of the story’s setting: “large rooms, high ceilings and a big yard.”
Although the setting was attractive, the movie makers wanted to do some remodeling before filming. Tomchak moved all her furniture to her basement and moved out of her home to house-sit for a friend. She was paid $13,000, before the remodeling began, to cover the use of her home and any living expenses she might incur.
Three days into the project, Tomchak was notified by letter that the movie production was not able to move forward. One of the financiers had pulled out and production had stopped. She returned to her home to find her back yard missing some plants and a couple of trees. Indoors, plaster walls were exposed down to the slats, carpeting had been ripped out, wiring and light fixtures were missing and two walk-in closets had been removed. Instead of standing in a movie set, she was just plain upset.
The cost to repair the home is estimated by Tomchak to be upward of $17,000. Although she was paid upfront, her contract stated her house would be left in a livable condition and any architectural changes made for the film would remain. The producers said, “We hope to have this problem cleared up and be back in action very soon.” How soon is “very soon” is anyone’s guess.
In the meantime, Tomchak has moved back into her home, sleeping on a mattress on the floor of one of her closet-less bedrooms. She definitely feels the production company is responsible for “fixing” her home as promised. Although empathetic to their situation, Tomchak asks, “What am I supposed to do?”
Not all homeowners who rent their home out to filmmakers get burned. Read how one family cashed in and saw their home in a film that earned three Oscar nominations.
TALK BACK: Would you consider allowing your home to be part of a movie set? What would you do in Daphne Tomchak’s situation? Post your comments below.
Posted by Sharon Walker
