The sprawling office set created for Apple TV+ drama "WeCrashed" was so , expansive, and expensive, that regulations required it be coded as a building - and aircon installed.
Anne Hathaway and Jared Leto in "WeCrashed" on Apple TV+
Parts of "WeCrashed," the story of the failed WeWork firm, were shot on location, but key parts took place in one enormous set.
According to Variety, production designer Amy Williams says she was told to go big with her plans, and especially with WeWorks HQ where Adam Neumann (Jared Leto) works.
"I had this idea that I wanted it to be this confusing, M. C. Escher-type staircase [place] that was three stories and confusing," she says. "[Adam's office] was this place from on high, so when he had the Monday meetings, he could look down onto his kingdom and look down on his disciples."
Williams didn't just have to design the WeWorks office set, however. She also had to design a way that this office could appear to be converted from an empty space during the show.
"We found this great building in Brooklyn," says Williams. "We used one floor for the raw space, and we would make it dirty, we added scenic paint everywhere and garbage, and we boarded up the windows."
"Then we would take over another floor," she continues, "and completely renovate it to the WeWork space with the colorful furniture, the desks and the polished concrete."
In all, the sets for the office and surrounding areas were ultimately so large that building regulations required them to treated as actual offices. That meant a sprinkler system had to be installed, and also a HVAC.
"WeCrashed" is an eight-episode limited series. The first seven editions are streaming on Apple TV+ now, with the finale coming on Friday, April 22.