Filming for "Hershey" movie comes to Ligonier, transporting borough back in time

CBS News

06-06-2025

The "Hershey" movie that has been filming in the Pittsburgh region for the last several weeks has made Ligonier its delicious home for the last few days.
This iconic Laurel Highlands town was doubling for a late 1800s and early 1900s Hershey, Pennsylvania, to help bring the biopic of the chocolate magnate, Milton Hershey, to life.
"It's interesting," said Ligonier police chief Mike Matrunics.
"Knowing all the eras that they are putting together to make the movie, I got to go see all the costumes and stuff that they are doing. It is amazing how much they have encompassed [the] town to run this film."
The Pittsburgh area is a popular destination for filmmakers
According to the Pittsburgh Film Office, movies and TV shows are filming both in Pennsylvania and in the Pittsburgh region, because of the state's film tax credit of $100 million, a tax credit they would like to see increased.
The tax credit acts as an incentive for filmmakers to set up shop in the commonwealth. It not only promotes the hiring of local cast and crew, but it also ensures that for every $1 of film industry output, an additional $ 0.80 is generated for the local economy.
In short, the Pittsburgh Film Office says, movies like "Hershey" would not be in places like Pittsburgh or Ligonier without this tax credit.
And clearly big money was being spent for this period piece, as dozens of local crew members and background actors in full turn of the century costume could be seen walking all through the center of town as the general public looked on. Folks even got to catch a glimpse of the film's leading man, Finn Wittrock, who is portraying Milton Hershey, strolling along the streets and sidewalks.
KDKA-TV met up with Marty Stewart, from Plum, who was working background on the movie on their first day of shooting in Ligonier. He says it was a long and hot day of filming, and he says he felt that heat in his costume, a period-appropriate wool suit.
"I was hoping that the outdoor time wouldn't be that extensive," Stewart joked. "But, everybody was in the same boat, we made it through. The crew, the director, the producers, they made sure that despite the weather, we were going to have fun, and we did!"
The community's reaction to filming the movie in Ligonier
One of the other 'stars' walking around town in a Hershey costume the last few days was a one-and-a-half-year-old French Bulldog named Waffles. Waffles is not in the movie, but he has become an unofficial mascot for both the town and the production.
Waffles and his owner, April Kinzler, are from the area. Kinzler works at Ligonier Paws on Main, which is run by Angle Tunstall.
They say that while the front of their shop was closed for filming, they were still able to stay open, and they say that having this movie filmed here for the last few days was a great thing for the town.
"There are so many good opportunities in regards to this," Tunstall said. "I do not have anything negative to say about the film crew, about the director, the actors, the extras, it has been a phenomenal experience. So, we thank them for playing a part and being a part of Ligonier."
While "Hershey" is just the latest film to be shot in Ligonier, both the borough and township have been used for several other films over the years, including Foxcatcher (2014), Love the Coopers (2015), The Pale Blue Eye (2022) and Unsinkable (2024). "Hershey," however, is the first movie to truly transform Ligonier's Dimond back in time, and no matter what kind of reception the film has once it is released, there is no doubt that people here will remember those warm days in the late spring of 2025, when Ligonier became the sweetest place on earth.
The "Hershey" movie wraps up filming in our region sometime in late June and they hope to have a release sometime in 2026.