After more than eight decades in business, a Coney Island candy store is celebrating a sweet moment in the spotlight.
Williams Candy is getting some well-deserved recognition after being featured in a film now nominated for six Academy Awards: Sean Baker's "Anora."
The movie is about a young sex worker who marries the son of a Russian Oligarch — its been nominated for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director and most of the movie was shot in Brooklyn.
Including one particularly chaotic and violent scene at the iconic Coney Island candy store. The Surf Avenue staple is just down the block from Nathan's hot dogs.
"It's great! It's exciting to see your store in a good movie in the Oscars. Millions of people watching, it's great," said owner Peter Agrapides.
In the movie, Mikey Madison's character, the titular Anora, go looking for her lost husband with a handful of his family's hired hands. They smash up the store using faux glass cases for a scene that shocked Agrapides to see on film.
"After I saw the movie, I said 'oh my god!' And we were finding that glass all over the place for months after that," he revealed.
Williams Candy has barely changed since it opened in 1941. The shop has that classic old-school feel that keeps customers coming back and attracted the movie's producers.
"They're a great family, they deserve all the business they get," said customer Lynn Marando.
"They come and they ask, 'was Anora filmed here?' and 'where's Billy the owner?' I'm the owner! Not Billy! He was just the fake owner," laughed Agrapides.
Billy O'Brien, a Coney Island fixture since he was five, plays the owner in the film. He still hangs out at the store and parks cars in the summer. He's in the scene where the store gets smashed.
"I come back out again and they busted the whole place up with the glass. I come out and I say 'what the hell?!'" he said.
Agrapides said he got paid a fair amount to give up his candy store for the day, but had no idea the success the movie would go on to have.
"I think I shoulda got more... if I knew it was gonna be an Oscar hit," Agrapides laughed.
In the meantime — he said he’ll enjoy the extra business now that they have Oscar-worthy street cred.
The cast of "Anora" share fun behind the scenes moments from filming and what it meant to be in Brooklyn and Manhattan for production. News 4's Brian Price reports.
