Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2012 film “The Master” was shot primarily around Northern California, with a few scenes also being filmed in Southern California, Hawaii and Nevada. Early in the film, Freddie Quell, played by Joaquin Phoenix, is seen serving in the military, stationed somewhere in Hawaii. These scenes were filmed at Papa‘Iloa Beach on the North Shore of Oahu, as identified by Reel News Hawaii.
LOCATION: Papa‘Iloa Beach, Haleiwa, HI 96712
Here is another photo of the same location, kindly provided to us by Christian Hernandez at Boogie Sights.
Freddie is seen working aboard a Navy vessel. These interior scenes were filmed aboard the USS Hornet in Alameda. Public tours are available for those interested. There is actually an exterior shot of the aircraft carrier, but only in the “Back Beyond” deleted scenes and outtakes feature. There is a shot of a couple men jumping off the vessel into the water.
LOCATION: USS Hornet – Sea, Air and Space Museum, 707 W Hornet Ave, Alameda, CA 94501
These additional photos of the USS Hornet were provided to us by Christian Hernandez at Boogie Sights.
The department store where Freddie works as a photographer was filmed at the UCLA Downtown / UCLA Extension at The Trust Building in Downtown Los Angeles. While only seen from interior views in the film, in the behind the scenes featurette “Unguided Message,” offers additional views, including a shot from the street, continuing inside and up the stairs into the department store set. Here is what the exterior looks like.
LOCATION: 433 S Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Freddie meets Lancaster Dodd, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, as he sneaks aboard Dodd’s yacht as a stowaway. That yacht is the USS Potomac, which is docked in Oakland, California. The boat is most famous for having once belonged to former U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
LOCATION: 540 Water St, Oakland, CA 94607
A view of the back of the yacht. The production added a canopy to the upper deck, where guests were seen dancing when Freddie first approaches.
Another, wider view of the USS Potomac, where it regularly docks.
There are tours available inside the USS Potomac, where you can see additional interiors featured in the film. This area is where Lancaster delivers a speech after his daughter’s wedding. While the majority of the tour is focused on Franklin Roosevelt and the history of the yacht, they do mention this film.
This bar area, which is only seen briefly in the background of a couple shots, was added by the production. The association which owns the yacht liked it and decided to keep it after the production ended.
There is a shot of the yacht departing beneath the Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge is one of the most often seen locations in film, having appeared in “Vertigo,” “The Rock,” “Pacific Rim,” “Zodiac,” “Big Eyes,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” “A View To A Kill,” “Dirty Harry,” “Hulk,” “Lords Of Dogtown,” “The Bridge” and many more.
LOCATION: Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA
Freddie is seen visiting his sweetheart, Doris, at this house in Crockett, California. The house has since received a paint job.
LOCATION: 619 Winslow St, Crockett, CA 94525
A full view of the home, though it is never seen from this angle in the film. It sits perched on a steep hilltop of a very narrow, one way road overlooking a lake.
Freddie and Doris sit on this park bench. This location was identified by Christian Hernandez at Boogie Sights. It can be found almost directly across the street from the Lancaster Dodd house, past the concrete structures and to the left. We’ve provided GPS coordinates below.
LOCATION: Alden Park, 8th St, Vallejo, CA 94592 (GPS coordinates: 38°05’51.6″N, 122°16’15.4″W)
Here are some additional photos of the same location, kindly provided to us by Christian Hernandez.
There is another scene of Freddie and Doris at the same park, but at a different bench, featured as a deleted scene in the “Back Beyond” featurette. If you’re facing the bench that appears in the film, this is just a short walk down to the left.
LOCATION: Alden Park, 8th St, Vallejo, CA 94592
Supposedly located in Philadelphia, the home of Helen Sullivan, played by Luara Dern, can found on Mare Island in Vallejo, California. The property, known as the Captain’s Mansion, is a former event space and can be a bit tricky to find. The first challenge is that many houses spanning several blocks on this street look almost identical and are used for similar purposes. There are subtle differences from house to house, however, be it minor architectural variations, trees and shrubs, views in the background, etc. To located this house, make sure you arrive at the intersection of Walnut Ave and 8th St on Mare Island and you’ll see the house, which has the number “822” on the front steps.
LOCATION: 1075 Walnut Ave, Vallejo, CA 94592 (near Walnut Ave and 8th St, GPS coordinates: 38°05’49.9″N, 122°16’18.2″W)
The theater where Freddie and Clark, played by Rami Malek, hand out flyers in front of the ticket booth is the Los Angeles Theatre in Downtown L.A.
LOCATION: 615 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90014
The Causes’s first congress, celebrating the release of Lancaster Dodd’s second book, was supposedly located in Phoenix, Arizona. The building is actually located in Norwalk, California. The same street has appeared in many films, such as “Another Day In Paradise” and “Frailty.” In some of the teaser trailers, alternate shots can be seen of some of the buildings across the street. At the time of our visit, the parking lot on the right was still open, but it has since been fenced off and filled with junk, making it no longer possible to match up many angles seen in the film.
LOCATION: 12124 Front St, Norwalk, CA 90650
In a deleted scene featured in the “Back Beyond” featurette, Freddie can be seen walking in a reverse view from the above shot, with this building seen in the background across the street, with a “Desert Hardware” sign.
In a deleted scene featured in the “Back Beyond” featurette, Freddie can be seen running along Torpedo Wharf, located near Golden Gate Bridge.
LOCATION: Torpedo Wharf, Long Ave, San Francisco, CA 94129
The area is a popular tourist destination and can get crowded.
Related articles: Hard Eight (1996), Boogie Nights (1997), Magnolia (1999), Punch-Drunk Love (2002), There Will Be Blood (2007), Inherent Vice (2014), Licorice Pizza (2021), One Battle After Another (2025)
