American model and actress Caprice Bourret has been filming a new Christmas movie in Perthshire.
The former supermodel, who has appeared on the covers of Vogue, GQ and Cosmopolitan magazines, was in Aberfeldy to shoot The Scottish Christmas Secret.
Film crews took over The Watermill bookshop and cafe on Tuesday. It was transformed into a festive movie set.
Co-owners John Argo and Keith Moncrieff were on hand throughout the day to show the filmmakers around.
Aberfeldy bookshop owner thought filming idea was ‘a wind-up’ after supermodel call
John says he thought it was “a wind-up” when Caprice called the bookshop to ask if they were interested in becoming a movie location.
He told The Courier: “Between Christmas and new year we were having a catch-up and one of the staff came through with the phone saying someone was asking about using the shop as a filming location.
“I initially thought, ‘yeah, yeah, whatever’ but took the call.
“This American girl was on the phone and it was Caprice – she said she used to be a model and now makes Christmas movies and she was looking for a bookshop.
“I wasn’t sure if it was a wind-up or not.
“She explained she has morphed from a model to a reality star to an entrepreneur.
“She has done a few movies and she’s doing this one in Scotland which is cool.
“She sent over the synopsis and that’s when I knew it wasn’t a wind-up.
“They were doing a short shoot in Scotland and the bookshop is quite an interesting building.
“We weren’t sworn to secrecy or anything but closed the shop to keep people away for them.
“We were there all day helping and showed them around the whole building.
“We thought about opening the cafe but had to keep it quiet enough for filming.
“The cafe became their staff room and then they went to do various shots.”
Caprice Bourret to star in Christmas film shot in Perthshire
John says filming crews were based in Aviemore throughout the shoot and had been looking for a bookshop nearby.
Bourret will star in the film alongside actor Alex Trumble who has previously appeared in a number of Christmas films.
She posted on her Instagram as filming got underway this week: “And so it begins up in Scotland shooting another Christmas movie having a blast.
“Can’t wait for everyone to see it and am so grateful for my incredible cast and crew.”
John said the cast and crew were “really lovely” throughout the shoot, which was completed on Tuesday.
He said: “We had to keep our Christmas decorations up and they brought a bunch more.
“They were all really lovely – there were no movie egos or anything like that.
“The lead actor – Alex Trumble – was over from LA and stars in a lot of these things.
“Caprice is the female lead.
“I knew who she was when she called but she was quite cool, she wasn’t like: ‘Do you know who I am?’
“She was talking and I said: ‘You’re that famous Caprice aren’t you?’
“She was really nice and really accommodating.
“They just moved bits and pieces around but didn’t change much.
“We are used to seeing the building every day but when you take a step back there is a bit of an eclectic Harry Potter-esque feel about it.”
Bourret, 53, was once one of the most photographed women in the world, appearing on more than 300 magazine covers across the world.
She is originally from southern California but moved to London in 1996.
In 2024 she starred in A European Christmas as a movie director who finds love in Serbia.
Bourret also appeared in 2019’s Christmas in the Highlands, which was largely filmed at Glamis Castle.
She was previously a judge on Britain’s Next Top Model and took part in the third season of Celebrity Big Brother.
John and Keith took over The Watermill in May 2024 when it changed hands after 19 years under its former owners.
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