Where Fool's Gold Was Filmed (The Dangerous Locations Explained)

Summary Fool's Gold was mostly filmed in Queensland, Australia, not the Caribbean as the movie depicts, due to safety concerns.

Crew members encountered dangers like Irukandji jellyfish, leading filming to move from Australia to the Caribbean briefly.

The movie, despite mixed reviews, was a financial success, grossing $111 million, with McConaughey and Hudson's chemistry shining.

The Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson tropically-set romantic comedy has some gorgeous shots and vistas, leading many to wonder, "Where was Fool's Gold filmed?" McConaughey and Hudson have appeared in two memorable movies together, uniting their individual talents for romance and humor effectively each time. Involving the search for treasure in the Caribbean Sea, 2008's Fool's Gold features beautiful settings on the coast of Florida, the crystal blue waters of the tropical Atlantic Ocean, and a sandy island, so just about every sequence is stunning visually.

Fool's Gold is in part sold on being a film with two big movie stars looking great in beautiful locations. It's a historically successful pitch, and it worked for the McConaughey-Hudson team-up. Despite scoring only 11% on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie earned a respectable $111 million (via Box Office Mojo). It may not be McConaughey or Kate Hudson's best movie, but sometimes audiences just want a movie to escape. Releasing in February 2008, plenty of American audiences in the grips of winter were glad to escape to the sunny beaches of the Caribbean.

Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson also co-starred in the 2003 rom-com, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

Related Matthew McConaughey's Best Movies, Ranked Matthew McConaughey is one of Hollywood's most versatile actors, with a thrilling filmography that offers a nice balance between comedy and drama.

Most Of Fool's Gold Was Filmed In Queensland, Australia

Parts Of Fool's Gold Were Shot On Stages At Village Roadshow Studios

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Despite taking place in the Caribbean, the location where the 1715 Spanish Treasure Fleet sank and the MacGuffin of the movie, Fool's Gold​​​​​​ was filmed primarily in Queensland, Australia. Most of the film was shot at the Village Roadshow Studios in Oxenford, Australia, only 50 minutes from Brisbane International Airport and adjacent to the Warner Bros. Movie World Theme Park.

The crew used stages 1,3,5,7 & 8 and the Stage 5 tank for underwater scenes. Village Roadshow Studios also built a $2.3 million Main Tank specifically for the film, which held 1,849 million gallons of water and even featured a boat wreck on rocks. There was also plenty of on-location filming done at Hervey Bay, Hamilton Island, Lizard Island, the Gold Coast, Airlie Beach, Brisbane City, Whitehaven Beach, and more (via Republic World).

Two Fool's Gold Crew Members Were Stung By Jellyfish

Filming Had To Move To The Caribbean At One Point For Safety

Though filming primarily took place on stages and in tanks, the Fool's Gold crew was not completely safe from harm. Filming in the open Australian ocean presented some dangerous situations, including the presence of Irukandji, a small but deadly relative to the box jellyfish and native to Australian shores (via Stuff). Alexis Dziena, who plays Gemma Honeycutt said about the jellyfish,

"I'd rather go up against a saltwater crocodile. Anything but the Irukandji. Something bigger, I figure you can reason with that. An invisible jellyfish? You can't reason with that."

Even with precautions, two crew members were stung by the jellies. Hudson said,

"There were two people on the crew who were stung by the Irukandji. When that happens you end up in a hospital for three days on a morphine drip because the pain is so severe."

Some filming ended up having to take place in the Caribbean, which is a bit ironic considering production moved from the Caribbean intentionally. Fool's Gold director Andy Tennant initially moved filming to Australia because of safety concerns regarding the upcoming hurricane season in the Caribbean that was set to begin when Fool's Gold was scheduled to be shot.

The Irukandji box jellyfish is the smallest in the world at only 1 cm, but its trailing, stinging tentacles can stretch over 1 meter (via Manoa).

Some of the filming also took place on Batt Reef, an ominous location as it's where Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, died from a stingray barb in 2006. A lover of Australian fauna and flora, Irwin probably would have been appreciative that the Fool's Gold crew really got involved with the local culture and had their share of animal encounters, like Hudson coming face-to-face with a funnel web spider, and McConaughey losing track of a six-foot python that lived in his shed.

Fool's Gold is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video.