A big budget Hollywood movie starring Twilight's Kristen Stewart is being filmed in Gatineau's Hull sector over the next few days.
The $28-million production, based on Jack Kerouac's best-selling 1957 novel On the Road, will tell the tale of a young man travelling the roads and railways of the United States. It's estimated about $200,000 of the film's budget will stay in Gatineau.
The Orient Express restaurant and several other businesses along Eddy Street in Hull now resemble businesses set in Denver, Colo. in 1947.
Today's cars have been replaced with antique automobiles, and Richard Mainville's Orient Express restaurant has become the film's "Chinese laundry shop".
"It's not everyday that you get the publicity, but it's good," said Mainville.
"A lot of people are playing jokes. They bring their dirty clothes and they leave it on the front door," he joked.
Residents hope to catch a glimpse of glamour
Several residents are now hoping to spot some of the movie's big stars. In addition to Stewart, the star-studded cast includes Viggo Mortensen, Amy Adams and Kirsten Dunst.
"Both Kristin Stewart and Kirsten Dunst, I'd like to get a peak at both of them," area resident Leslie Murray told CTV Ottawa.
"I'm here for my daughter, we're trying to see if Kristen Stewart is going to be here," added Debbie Orr.
But there's no word if any of the stars will even set foot in Gatineau.
"I don't know, I wasn't told. This is something that's a well-kept secret," said Roch Brunette, of Ottawa-Gatineau Film and Television Development Corp.
However, this isn't the first time Hollywood has come to the National Capital Region. Sacrifice, starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Christian Slater, was filmed in Ottawa in April.
By the end of this month, industry representatives say there could be more announcements about big productions signing on to film here.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Karen Soloman
