NBC films action scene on Long Beach Bridge

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The City of Long Beach doubled for Washington, D.C., last weekend, when the NBC action spy-thriller “The Blacklist,” starring James Spader, filmed on the Michael Valente Memorial Bridge.

A location manager for the show, Damien Resnick, said that the scene for the show’s pilot involved special effects such as fire, smoke, actors repelling off the bridge, gunshots, and a car collision, all of which were monitored by police.

“It’s a big sort of action, special effects-laden scene and we’re working all day,” Resnick said. “[The Long Beach Bridge] had the look that we wanted, and we wanted to stay in the greater New York, Nassau County area. And the City of Long Beach, Village of Island Park and the county has been really great in cooperating and supporting what we want to do.”

City spokesman Gordon Tepper said that NBC is covering all overtime and other costs associated with filming, and paid all permit fees. The northbound side of the bridge was closed from 5 a.m. Saturday through 11 p.m. Sunday, and northbound traffic from Long Beach was diverted to one lane of the southbound bridge.

East Beech Street resident Alyson Goodman said she could hear the explosions and other activity from her home.

“Every now and then on Saturday, you were able to hear what sounded like a machine gun going off,” she said. “You knew it was from the scenes they were filming for the pilot.”