Where Was Nine Perfect Strangers Filmed?

The Alpine setting of the second season of Nine Perfect Strangers is a far cry from the California wellness resort portrayed in season one. This new season, currently airing weekly on Hulu, continues the unorthodox efforts of Masha Dmitrichenko (Nicole Kidman), who hopes to heal her unwitting guests using psychedelics. This time, she moves on from Tranquillum to a mountainside resort called Zauberwald.
'Masha is a person who has to evolve,' explains executive producer Bruna Papandrea. 'The move was a natural progression for her as a character, but also to be in this incredible environment and have her guests come there is a very natural story element that we always anticipated doing for a second season. What we felt was that a winter setting was both slightly ominous, but also incredibly beautiful and also luxurious.'
To film season two, the cast temporarily relocated to Munich, where they lived for six months. Shooting took place around Austria and Germany, as well as on a soundstage. Locations included Salzburg, Hallstatt, Alpendorf, Leopoldskron Palace, and Gradonna Ski Resort. 'We really did get to do a lot of very cool bopping around to some crazy locations that I don't think we would have ever found ourselves in otherwise,' notes Annie Murphy, who plays Imogen, one of Zauberwald's guests.
To film season two of Nine Perfect Strangers, the cast temporarily relocated to Munich (pictured), where they lived for six months.
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On set, the actors became especially close, and Christine Baranski, who plays the wealthy Victoria, encouraged their bonding. In the series, Murphy plays Victoria's estranged daughter, Murray Bartlett plays former children's TV host Brian, Henry Golding plays rich kid Peter, and musician King Princess plays a struggling pianist who travels with her girlfriend Wolfie (Maisie Richardson-Sellers).
Below, Papandrea, Murphy, and King Princess speak to Condé Nast Traveler about their experiences filming Nine Perfect Strangers.
What vibe did you want Zauberwald to have?
Bruna Papandrea: What we all really wanted was the sense of history, because Masha has history with this place and there is that incredible sense of the old that you get throughout Europe. But [it has] been redone to be very luxurious and very opulent. Soho House does it brilliantly all over Europe. That was one of our references for how you take something incredibly old and historical and update it and make it really beautiful and new. We wanted it to feel very warm and very beautiful, and to have elements of any luxury wellness retreat.
To achieve a luxurious and opulent feel for the locations of Nine Perfect Strangers, the team turned to Soho House locations in Europe for inspiration, according to the show's executive producer Bruna Papandrea.
Udo Kramer
Was the exterior of Zauberwald an actual resort?
King Princess: The exterior was Franz Ferdinand's hunting castle, Schloss Blühnbach.
Annie Murphy: The reason we shot in Germany in the first place is because they wanted such a stark difference between season one and season two, and they wanted season two to be this beautiful snow globe-y winter wonderland. Then cut to it being the hottest winter on record for decades and decades. These poor ski towns that make their entire annual income from tourism, everything ground to a halt. In so many shots of us in our parkas and our hats and our mitts we're just pretending to have chattering teeth and we're sweating underneath there. Behind the scenes, the crew was there was shoveling like snow that had been trucked in and was slowly melting. But one day at Blühnbach there was the most glorious snowstorm—it's a scene where we're all snowshoeing. But then it snowed so much that we got snowed in and had to wait to be shoveled out.

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Associated Press

3 hours ago

• Associated Press

Studycat Introduces Kids to German Culture Through Innovative Kids' German Language App

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Studycat's 'Learn German - Studycat' app addresses this need by combining language learning with cultural enrichment, helping kids develop linguistic skills and a deep appreciation for German traditions. According to a 2024 study, children who learn a second language before the age of 8 acquire it as naturally as their native tongue, reaping cognitive and cultural benefits. Studycat's app leverages this window of opportunity, offering a play-based, immersive experience that makes learning German as engaging as a favorite game. The app's curriculum, developed by language and early-education experts, goes beyond vocabulary to introduce children to German culture through interactive lessons. Kids explore themes like colors, animals, and numbers while discovering cultural elements such as German fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and classical music traditions. For example, lessons may incorporate references to the Brothers Grimm stories or the melodies of Beethoven, connecting language to Germany's rich heritage. This approach not only builds vocabulary but also sparks curiosity about the world, preparing kids for global citizenship. Key features of the 'Learn German - Studycat' kids' German language app include: - Immersive Learning Environment: All activities are conducted in German, mimicking natural language acquisition without reliance on translations. - Cultural Integration: Lessons incorporate German cultural references, ranging from folklore to festivals, fostering a deeper connection to the language. - Interactive Games and Songs: Engaging activities, including speaking challenges and musical games, keep kids motivated and entertained. - Vocal Variety: Characters employ diverse tones, expressions, and accents to convey pronunciation nuances, thereby enhancing listening skills. - Safe and Ad-Free: A kidSAFE-listed environment ensures a distraction-free experience, suitable for ages three and up. - Offline Access: The app works anywhere—on planes, in parks, or at home—making it convenient for busy families. - Progress Tracking (Coming Soon): Personalized learner profiles will allow parents to monitor their child's growth. The app solves a common challenge for parents: finding educational tools that are both effective and engaging. Traditional language programs often rely on rote memorization, which can be boring for young learners. Studycat's play-based approach, backed by educational research, ensures kids stay excited about learning. A parent review on the App Store notes, 'My 6-year-old loves this app. It reinforces her German class lessons in a fun, interactive way.' This sentiment is echoed by millions of families worldwide who trust Studycat's apps to make language learning a joyful adventure. German culture is a powerful draw for young learners. Germany's contributions to literature, music, and science captivate children's imaginations, from the enchanting tales of the Brothers Grimm to the engineering marvels of companies like Siemens. By introducing these elements, Studycat's kids' German language app not only teaches language but also inspires kids to explore Germany's legacy. This cultural connection aligns with a growing trend: a 2025 report projects the global language learning app market will reach $26 billion by 2032, driven by demand for culturally rich educational tools. Studycat's commitment to quality has earned recognition from educational bodies, with its apps praised for innovation and effectiveness. The company's focus on immersive learning ensures kids develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in a holistic way. Immediate feedback within games encourages a growth mindset, helping children learn from mistakes and build confidence. Whether it's mastering the word 'rot' (red) or singing a German nursery rhyme, every step feels like an achievement. About Studycat Studycat is a global leader in children's language learning, offering immersive apps in English, Spanish, French, German, and Chinese. Founded in 2011, Studycat combines expert-designed curricula with engaging games to make learning fun and effective for kids aged 3-8. Trusted by millions of families, Studycat's award-winning apps foster linguistic and cultural growth in a safe, ad-free environment. Press Relations Studycat +852 2868 1234 email us here Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.

Washington Post

4 hours ago

• Washington Post

‘The Scrapbook' considers the weight of history on a modern love

How does history constrain our personal choices? Can we and should we try to break free? Heather Clark, author of the splendid Sylvia Plath biography 'Red Comet' (2020), poses these questions in her immersive first novel, 'The Scrapbook.' One inspiration, she reveals in an author's note, was her grandfather's World War II scrapbook, with its gruesome photographs of the Dachau concentration camp after liberation. But the novel's core narrative involves a passionate and seemingly doomed collegiate love affair five decades later. The protagonist, Anna, is relating the main story, set in the late 1990s, in retrospect. She seems at times completely in the (remembered) moment; at other points, she is clearly looking back, or flashing forward to the romance's unraveling. Her journal of the period, she says, has been lost. Clark omits quotation marks around dialogue, speeding the narrative flow. Anna, a gifted Harvard senior on the verge of graduation, falls for Christoph, a thrillingly handsome and seductive German student who is visiting from abroad. They meet at a party and, immediately smitten, she spends the week before finals engaged in deep conversations with him. (The sex comes later.) Despite the unwieldiness of their long-distance romance, the cultural gulf between them, Christoph's intermittent aloofness and warnings from her friends, Anna stays smitten, building her postgraduate life around him — or trying to. 'He was everything to me then,' she recalls, in an obvious intimation of disaster. Later she'll admit that her vision of the relationship 'had the hazy, shimmering quality of a mirage.' The book's simple-enough plot is fleshed out with literary references (Plath's poem 'Daddy' merits a callout, as do Rainer Maria Rilke, Heinrich Heine, Tadeusz Borowski and, more obliquely, W.H. Auden). 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Only the force of her infatuation can compel Anna (if not the reader) to disregard the many indications that Christoph isn't quite who she imagines — or wants — him to be. To begin with, Anna's Harvard roommates, both Jewish, dislike Christoph, mainly because he is German — a reaction at once harshly intolerant and understandable. More worrying is Christoph's own behavior. When Anna visits him in Germany, he wanders off at parties and ignores her. He belongs to a fencing fraternity whose hazing rituals seem ominous or, at best, ill-conceived. He breaks a promise to visit the United States again. And even though she ditched her studying for his company when they first met, Christoph seems to put his own studies first. When she telephones him during a long, transatlantic separation, he is often mysteriously absent — and unwilling even to call her back. As Clark depicts him, Christoph, however self-centered, also displays considerable sophistication and historical savvy. Banal treachery seems beneath him. That makes his behavior in the book's climactic scene seem surprising, even preposterous, despite Clark's careful foreshadowing. There are nevertheless hints that the story of the two lovers may not be over. An open-ended epilogue offers a glimmer of hope that love may yet overcome history. Julia M. Klein is the contributing book critic at the Forward, and she reviews for the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe and other publications. By Heather Clark Pantheon. 244 pp. $28

Yahoo

8 hours ago

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Musical roots: Austria's JJ opens up on Eurovision 2025 win, dream collaborators and what comes next

What do you get when you combine the soaring soprano stylings of Maria Callas, the drama of '90s divas like Celine and Whitney, and the bass-heavy, brat-pop chaos of Charli XCX? You get a winning Eurovision song. JJ, Austria's newly crowned champion of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest, brought all of that and more with his electrifying song "Wasted Love". Euronews Culture caught up with the rising star to unpack the whirlwind of the final - from early morning rehearsals to the surreal moment his name was announced as the winner. The 24-year-old singer also reflects on his musical upbringing between karaoke nights and classical symphonies, and shares what's next for his music career now that the trophy is his. Related Austria's Eurovision winner JJ calls for Israel to be banned from contest Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez calls for Israel to be excluded from Eurovision over Gaza war Euronews Culture: So, JJ, first of all, how are you? How have things been? JJ: Yeah good. Very busy. I've been traveling around a lot, but I'm enjoying every moment. It's so fun. Please walk us through the day of your Eurovision win, from waking up to taking home the trophy. So I woke up, I think, around 7:30 because we had to leave at 8 to head to the arena. Once we got there, we did a bit of press, then hair and makeup, and had a rehearsal in one of the vocal warm-up rooms. We went through the song once or twice - kind of like a performance run-through, including how I would move on stage. Then we had the family show, which I think started at 1 PM. That was basically the dress rehearsal for the evening show. It was fun, and the crowd was already wild. They were so loud - it was just an insane feeling. We also rehearsed the flag parade, and then I got to perform. While I was sitting there, I just thought, 'Okay, you just have to perform now. Tonight, soak in the moment, because this is the last time you're going to be on that stage." And yeah, it was so fun. I could really feel the energy of the crowd. After I came off stage, we did a bit more press - lots of interviews and TikToks and things like that. Then I took a one-hour nap because I needed some rest. Then it was the same thing again: waking up, having what I'd call a late lunch or early dinner, vocal warm-up, and then the show started. It became a routine by then - my semi-final was on Thursday, so I had the same schedule from Thursday to Saturday. During the final I thought I felt really present, but looking back now, it all feels like a blur because everything happened so fast - I didn't even have time to process it. When I finally had a bit of downtime before my nap, that's when I could actually reflect on what just happened. But overall, it was such a fun experience. And the more I think back, the more memories come up. I'll be like, 'Oh yeah, that happened too.' How did it feel when your name was announced as the winner? That was just crazy. We'd been there all day, and the three-hour show felt so long. I was really glad I performed early because then I could just watch my friends and cheer them on. But the waiting part felt endless. When they finally announced '178,' my team and I were freaking out. There's a video on social media where you can see them flinging me around like I was a fidget toy before pushing me toward the stage. It was all such a blur - so much happened at once. I was full of adrenaline and emotion - I felt every emotion you could think of. And yeah, I was just constantly sobbing. What did you do the night after winning? I performed again, then had to stay on stage for more interviews and official portraits. After that, we went to the press conference at the media center in Basel. I got back to the hotel at 3:30 AM, where I saw my sister and all the other delegations. We had a huge party in the hotel lobby until about 6 AM. So yeah, it was a long night! Where is the trophy going to go? Good question - I have no idea yet. So far, it's just been in my room. But I think we have a glass cabinet in the living room where we keep my grandmother's trophies. I think we'll just make space and put it next to hers. It's really heavy, and I don't have a suitcase for it, so I have to be careful. I don't want a NEMO experience - you know, they had a rough time with theirs breaking. Tell us a bit about your musical background. Can you remember when you first fell in love with music? That was in Dubai, where I grew up. We had karaoke parties every weekend at home - my family would invite friends and relatives. The first karaoke song I learned was 'Because of You' by Kelly Clarkson. Big song... Yeah, crazy, right? For a six-year-old to try and learn that! But it was fun. That was the first time I consciously learned a song. Then the next morning, my dad showed my siblings and me Beethoven - his symphonies - as well as Bach and Mozart. That's when my love for classical music began to grow too. So I basically grew up between both musical worlds, and my love for it just kept expanding. Any other influences that inspire you most? Yeah - Mariah Carey was a big influence. But really, the '90s divas - Celine, Whitney - they were a huge part of my life. My older sister and my mom loved listening to them, so I got a lot of inspiration through them. And I also listened to the radio a lot. I loved Ariana Grande too. So I'd say I'm a mix. And now, especially with the electronic side, my love for Charli XCX has grown even more -especially with her brat album. How did the operatic style come in? Did you learn that formally at school, or…? After going through puberty, I realised that I still had a high singing voice, and I thought it would be a cool party trick to imitate a soprano - like, 'Let's just sing high notes!' So. I started teaching myself by listening to audio recordings of Maria Callas and Montserrat Caballé on YouTube. Since I love imitating voices and sounds, I tried to recreate how they projected their voices. That's how I started learning to sing classically. Later, I got into university and began studying professional vocal technique. So your winning-song "Wasted Love" - it obviously starts as an operatic ballad and then takes off into techno banger. When you were writing the song, how did that idea come about? Did you always know you wanted to end it like that? So it was the three of us in the studio - Tayah, the songwriter; Thomas, the producer; and I. And we'd never worked together before, so this was our first time. They didn't have any experience with classical music, and it was also my first time in a recording studio. So we just let our creative minds flow. We knew we wanted to switch things up - we wanted something that would, you know, gag the people. Then our producer, Thomas, was like, 'What about techno?' And Tay and I were like, 'Okay, we'll see.' We took a quick bathroom break, and while we were gone, he'd already added some EDM/techno elements. When we came back, he was like, 'Guys, I did something.' And then he played it for us - and we were like, "Wow. This slaps." And from that day on, we just kept it. How has life been since winning? Yeah, it's been very fun - pretty busy, because I've been traveling a lot. But I love being in different places, meeting new people - especially with my amazing team. I honestly can't complain. I have the best people behind me, so I'm really happy about that. I do get recognised a lot more. And sometimes, you know, when we're in a rush, I want to take a picture with people, but then I have to start running again. So it's a bit stressful in that sense - but it's fun. It's nice being recognised. So what's next for you? What have you got going on - tour, album? Yeah! So after the whole European press and promotion tour, I'm heading right back into the studio once I get home to make new music - because that's what everyone is very excited for. I'm so looking forward to it. I love being in the studio and experimenting a bit. We've got enough time, and we're gonna let Wasted Love have its well-deserved moment. And while that's still riding its wave, I'll be back in the studio working on what's next. And where do you see your sound going? I'll definitely keep my operatic sound - that's my USP, that's what people know me for. I want to hold on to my musical we'll see how commercial we can go - or what other experimental switch-ups might fit with that operatic sound. But I'm definitely keeping the high notes. If you could team up with anyone - your dream collab - who's top of your list? Obviously, Ariana Grande. But I'd also love to work with Charli XCX. That would be insane.