Back in Action was filmed in real London locations and Atlanta neighbourhoods, with Waddesdon Manor, Stansted Airport, Kew, Royal Docks and the Thames Barrier appear in the spy movie.
In the 2025 Netflix movie, Emily (Cameron Diaz) and Matt (Jamie Foxx) are former spies who fell in love while working undercover in Europe. Years later, their identities are exposed, leaving them with no choice but to get back to espionage.
As they try to evade the villains, they take a transatlantic flight with their kids, Alice and Leo, to hide out with Emily’s mum (Glenn Glose). But there are a few twists and turns in store.
Back in Action Filming Locations
Jamie Fox and Cameron Diaz. Provided by TMDB API
Set between the USA and UK, the Back in Action filming locations include Atlanta, Georgia, Stansted Airport in Essex, Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire, Kew Gardens Station in Richmond, and the Tate Modern, Millennium Bridge, Tower Bridge and River Thames in London.
Here’s exactly where Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz and Glenn Close’s spy movie Back in Action was filmed...
Back in Action Locations
Gor’s Party
anna / Waddesdon Manor
The filming location for Gor’s party in Back in Action is Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire. In the movie’s opening scene, the agents pose as Mr and Mrs Lemieux to crash the former KGB agent’s party.
Waddesdon Manor isn’t in continental Europe as the new Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx spy movie suggests. But in fact, this English stately home was designed in the style of a French chateau, inspired by Loire valley architecture in particular.
The area where Emily and Matt park is in front of the main entrance, which they pass through as they discuss their mission. They’re also seen in Waddesdon’s rooms, including the corridor leading to the spiral staircase.
The open door in the party sequence reveals a quick glimpse of the parterre on the manor’s south side.
If you visit, you also see the tunnel they run through – it actually leads to the visitor toilets. And it is very easy to visit, since Gor’s mansion location is a National Trust property that’s open to members and non-members.
Aeroplane Hangar
Stansted Airport Terminal by Sandy B, CC BY-SA 2.0
Back in Action’s private plane hangar location is the Diamond Hangar at Stansted.
It’s also used in Tomorrow Never Dies, in the scene where James Bond tests out the remote control car. In everyday life, the hangar sits within London Stansted Airport, where it serves luxury aircraft.
Emily and Matt’s House
Matt and Emily’s neighbourhood scenes for Back in Action were filmed in Atlanta, using residents’ real gardens for the stunt scenes.
As reported in House Beautiful, the crew worked hard to convince the Atlanta homeowners – and the fences were put up specially for the movie.
“It became a question of which neighborhood is going to let us drive over their lawns and smash up fences?... It was a long dance to earn the trust of the neighbors and to plan a route so it wouldn’t actually disrupt things for anyone.”
Seth Gordon, Writer and Director
Kew Gardens Station
The train station in Back in Action is Kew Gardens Station on West Park Road in Richmond.
Home to the beautiful Kew Gardens and Hampton Court Palace, Richmond upon Thames has a village feel but it’s actually on the edge of London.
Millennium Bridge
Millennium Bridge. mattbuck (category), CC BY-SA 2.0
The narrow footbridge across the Thames in Back in Action is of course, the Millennium Bridge.
Completed in 2000, the bridge links the City of London near St Paul’s Cathedral with the Tate Modern in Southwark, which opened the same year.
Tate Modern
Tate Modern Interior. DiscoA340, CC BY-SA 4.0
Red carpet scenes for Back in Action were filmed at the Tate Modern in London in February 2023.
The outdoor night shoot was caught on camera at the time, with Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx in formalwear, along with hundreds of extras.
The interior of the Tate Modern appears in the Netflix spy thriller too. Several locations around the art gallery are seen onscreen, including the Turbine Gallery and the gallery’s real lifts.
Located in the Bankside area on the south of the River Thames, the Tate Modern offers free admission to its collection along with ticketed special exhibitions.
And its collection isn’t bad, with artwork by iconic artists like Picasso and Yayoi Kusama.
River Thames
The river chase in Back in Action were filmed on the River Thames in London, with the help of the Thames RIB Experience’s crew.
They specialise in speedboat rides past the London landmarks – and of course, high speed movie shoots for action movies like Netflix’s 2025 Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx release.
To shoot the Back in Action chase sequence, they filmed at locations from Royal Docks and Tower Bridge, along to Canary Wharf and further east, out to the Thames Barrier.
You can read all about the Thames RIB Experience’s account, or get closer to the action with a speedboat cruise tour along the Thames.
Thames Barrier
Thames Barrier. mattbuck (category), CC BY-SA 2.0
The real Thames Barrier appears in Back in Action, though the movie’s geography is a little bit off.
It doesn’t open onto the Atlantic Ocean, which is on the opposite side of the country – the barrier actually halts surges from the North Sea.
Tower Bridge
Look out for the riverboat station by Tower Bridge, another London filming location in the Back in Action movie.
It appears later in the riverboat chase sequence, when the agents split up as they race against time.
Soccer Game
Back in Action’s football game scene was filmed in Atlanta, Georgia, in April 2023 – but don’t check out the coverage unless you’ve finished the film, as it contains spoilers! All we’ll say is that it wraps up the movie.