The filming of an upcoming television show piqued staff and student interest on April 12, which brought dozens of crew members, A-list stars and excitement to the Lincoln Center campus. “Zero Day,” a limited series from Netflix starring Robert De Niro and Angela Bassett, was shooting on the second floor of the Leon Lowenstein Center and occupied the Outdoor Plaza, with additional designated locations for the set around campus.
According to Deadline, “Zero Day,”is a conspiracy thriller series centered around a global cyber-attack. Although access to set was restricted, several signs were posted around campus, primarily in the Street Level hallways between McMahon Hall and Lowenstein; “Breakfast,” “HMU (Hair and Makeup),” “Load-In,” “Holding,” “Wardrobe” and “Set” signs directed cast and crew to their respective locations. Trailers were also parked outside McMahon Hall on 60th Street.
The second floor of Lowenstein was converted into the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) headquarters for the duration of the shoot, complete with CIA seals on the elevators, American flags populating the halls and mock-up posters lining the corridors spreading information about cybersecurity.
Leslie Timoney, director of conference services at Fordham and the coordinator of the shoot, said that Lowenstein’s “windows and facade are similar to the CIA headquarters,” which was the draw for the “Zero Day” team.
Although filming occupied the entirety of Lowenstein’s second floor, according to Timoney, the logistics “went very smoothly.” The filming was originally intended to happen over winter break, but delays pushed it back to April. Timoney specifically wrote that the admissions department was especially flexible since this time of year is particularly active for admissions — they were “wonderful to allow filming.”
Patricia Peek, dean of undergraduate admissions, said that “both Ms. Timoneys office and the film shoot crew were incredibly helpful in making the spaces work for everyone.” She added that “the film crew also worked tirelessly on Friday evening so that our spaces would be ready for Saturday’s Spring Preview,” an admissions event that welcomed hundreds of visitors to the Lincoln Center campus.
Will Gualtiere, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’25, works as a student intern in the Office of Campus Ministry, which is also located on the second floor. “The floor was definitely more busy than usual, especially when they were setting up shots,” Gualtiere said. He also noted that the shoot was “less disruptive than I was expecting it to be.”
Timoney noted that “Zero Day” is certainly not the first project to film at Fordham and will not be the last.
Although Gualtiere noted that the second floor was hard to maneuver during the shooting period all the crew members were “very accommodating” and it was “very interesting to see a working shoot” happening at Fordham.
Students were especially excited to see celebrities around campus. Grace Keegan, FCLC ’25, said that she spotted De Niro outside McMahon Hall on Friday morning.
“As I walked up alongside the trailers, I noticed a group of people right outside of a trailer and that’s when I realized it was him,” Keegan said. “Needless to say, I wasn’t expecting to run into De Niro on my Friday morning coffee run, but it definitely gave me something to talk about!”
Timoney noted that “Zero Day” is certainly not the first project to film at Fordham and will not be the last. “Location scouts in the film industry are aware that Fordham is film friendly,” she said.
Timoney also noted that the Rose Hill campus is a popular location due to its campus architecture, which can “stand in for any university anywhere.” According to Timoney, the Lincoln Center campus, in addition to “Zero Day,” was also utilized in the drama series “Elsbeth,” in which Lowenstein acted as the Federal Center in Chicago. She also said that last week, an AppleTV production starring Jon Hamm was filmed at the Westchester campus. Timoney mentioned that Fordham already has future filming prospects lined up for this summer.
“The Fordham community loves to recognize itself on TV,” she said. “It’s fun and part of the fabric of NY (New York).”
The six-episode limited series also stars Jesse Plemons, Lizzy Caplan, Joan Allen, Connie Britton and Dan Stevens. It is executive produced by De Niro, Eric Newman, Noah Oppenheim, Michael S. Schmidt, Jonathan Glickman and Lesli Linka Glatter, who is also directing all six episodes, according to Deadline.
