New big screen plans for Beaufort's 'Big Chill' house. Cameras are already rolling
Beaufort's Tidalholm has captured the eye of Hollywood once again.
An established documentary maker recently started filming in the home — best known as the setting for the movies "The Big Chill" and "The Great Santini".
Matthew Miele, the documentary maker, has plans to put the house back on the big screen — Something he has done with his last four films.
His past films dive into subjects such as The Carlyle Hotel, Tiffany & Co., Harry Benson (photographer known for capturing the Beatles) and Bergdorf's.
The films feature a list of impressive casts too long to name but includes Donald Trump, Uma Thurman, Cher, Barbra Streisand, David Letterman, Vera Wang, Katie Couric, Ralph Lauren, Wes Anderson, George Clooney, Woody Allen and Lenny Kravitz.
Miele has every intention of including just as notable names in his film about Tidalholm. He even hopes to bring a few of them to Beaufort to experience the magic of the home.
Why Tidalholm? Miele said the film "The Big Chill" has been a favorite of his since he was a child.
"It stuck with me," Miele said. "I returned to the film every few years."
This stirred a fascination for the house it was filmed in, Miele said. When the house came on the market in 2013, Miele was one of the first to jump on a plane to tour the home.
He even attempted to gather a group of friends to purchase the house — the plan failed.
John C. Tashjian, a New York developer, purchased the home for $1.76 million last spring. He has since been renovating the house with hopes to be completed this fall.
Miele contacted Tashjian about the idea for the film shortly after it was sold. He says Tashjian welcomed it.
The film will focus on the house's Hollywood past but also its historic one, Miele said.
"The celebrities might bring you in but the whole history is what keeps you there as the story unfolds," Miele said.
Miele said he hopes that Beaufort County residents and others who have a history with the home will reach out and help tell that story.
Currently, Miele is filming the renovations and history of the home. Once complete, he has a few more ideas.
This includes a hope to bring back the original cast from "The Big Chill".
He also has an idea of bringing a group of notable people to the home and having them live in it for a short period of time while being disconnected from the internet and cell phone.
"The Big Chill was about a generational dialogue," Miele said. "It was putting a mirror on the society they lived in and how they were all doing after college and the abrupt way that life hits you. I think everyone can relate to that and I think if you had the right people together — it would have those elements."
The film could be completed as early as summer or fall of 2019, Miele said.
This story was originally published April 29, 2018 at 2:34 PM with the headline "New big screen plans for Beaufort's 'Big Chill' house. Cameras are already rolling."