According to Columbus, Williams also played another key role in the film, in addition to his delightful characters. He and the film’s producer Marsha Garces Williams, who was Robin’s wife from 1989 to 2010, were the first to pitch the idea of setting the story in San Francisco.
Initially, Columbus said he was a bit hesitant. “I had only been to San Francisco for two days in my life up until that point,” he explained. “I said, ‘Well, let me take a look around the city and get a visual idea of whether or not it works for the movie.'”
Within a week, he was on board with Robin’s decision, adding, “[I] got inspired by so many great locations within a week and said, ‘Yeah, let’s shoot this in San Francisco.'”
In fact, he loved the location so much that he decided the film would become a “partial love letter to the city as well,” with memorable scenes shot all across the city and the Bay Area.
