‘I Swiped the Wrong One’: A Pittsburgh rom-com with a Carnegie twist

Pittsburgh is known for a variety of things: ketchup, bridges, museums and more.

It’s also known for having featured works of cinema filmed locally such as “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” The Dark Knight Rises” and “Fences.”

The idea for “I Swiped the Wrong One,” the rom-com being filmed in part in the Carnegie area, sparked from the movie “The Haunting of Prince Dom Pedro.” This piece was the work of Joe Fishel and was his first feature-length project. The nature of this film sparked the inspiration for this entirely separate story — one a variety of people can relate to.

Stills from rom-com “I Swiped the Wrong One,” a movie being filmed in part in the Borough of Carnegie.

Fishel explains, “In the past, the four main characters might have had people they know and said, ‘Hey, I know this person, they’re nice, I’ll set you up with them.’ In this movie, the people close to them push them to get on a dating app. It’s a variation of that old version of trying to set somebody up with someone in a 21st century way.”

Fishel, a Butler native and the film’s writer and producer, said that his journey in film began in high school, when a film analysis class completely shifted his view of cinema. His career has spanned from no-budget short films to Hollywood blockbusters such as “The Dark Knight Rises,” granting him a unique perspective of filmmaking.

“I Swiped the Wrong One,” set in familiar corners of Pittsburgh, mixes comedy and romance while venturing into the very modern challenges of digital dating. Central to its visual tone is a key area: Carnegie.

Director Laura Irene Young said in Carnegie, they found a location with a ready-made personality.

“We don’t have to give it, we don’t have to add anything, it’s already there,” said Young, who happens to live in Carnegie. “It’s really easy because the places are so wonderful. I think the more you try to take the personality out of a location, the less fun it is to watch on film.”

Young’s outlet for creativity sparked in junior high and she later began performing in musicals during her high school years. The Ambridge native earned her degree in musical theater at Youngstown State University, and she later attended graduate school at Savannah College of Art and Design for Performing Arts. She decided to move back to Pittsburgh in 2018 and explained that Carnegie was the perfect fit for her.

“I fell in love with it,” she said. “If you’re a creative individual, Carnegie is the place for you.”

Philip Salvato, owner of the 3rd Street Gallery and a Carnegie native, said he admires the arts and wants to encourage them as much as possible “ because the arts always bring prosperity and happiness.”

In Pittsburgh, Salvato worked in the commercial arts, but fine arts were always his real passion.

“It’s our responsibility to uplift mankind with a touch of beauty because it’s very difficult to create beauty,” he said. “It’s easy to just kind of make a lot of noise, but to create a symphony takes a lot. It’s about sharing that, sharing that with the people.”

The lead of the film, North Hills native Rachel Pfennigwerth, who plays Amanda, has already become a fast fan of the filming location.

“I’ve loved it,” she said. “This is, I think, only my second time here on this side of Carnegie so it’s awesome to see this 3rd Street Gallery and some restaurants. I’ll be exploring some of these places now that I know about them.

“I moved away for a while so coming back and being involved in a local production with a new writer, new producer who’s bringing work to the city, makes me proud.”

Pfennigwerth started out at ACT ONE Theatre School before attending Point Park University. Pfennigwerth said that landing this role was a case of preparation meeting luck. She had worked with Fishel before and he had asked her if she would be interested in the feature film.

“It’s my first feature film and that’s really exciting,” she said. “It feels like a step in the right direction an accomplishment — which is lovely. I’ve loved working with my very dear friend Laura; it makes being on set every weekend that much better because I’m just hanging out with my friend and that goes for the new friends I’ve made like the crew.

“We’re small but mighty.”

Young and Pfennigwerth had worked together previously and when Pfennigwerth was asked who she wanted to be directed by, Young immediately came to mind.

“I had been talking about how I wanted to direct a film that I had not written because that hadn’t happened in a while,” Young recalled, “and so she connected me with Joe.”

She read the script and gave him her thoughts on what she wanted to bring to the movie.

“I do love romantic comedies, but I also love when they tell more than just happily ever after,” Young said. “What I liked about this movie, without giving any spoilers, is that it really is that in-between. Just because something fits in your life doesn’t mean it’s right and it’s important to find what is right for you, not just what other people want for you.”

The production crew films a scene from inside Carnegie's 3rd Street Gallery. 

The love that Young and Pfennigwerth share for each other, as well as the entire crew, is no secret. Young explains the ups and downs of juggling time constraints and certain limits but emphasized how delightful it has been working with the crew.

“It’s wild, but amazing, that there is so much talent in Pittsburgh,” she said. “We’ve really been trying as a group, as a collective, to make this set just really fun to be on and I think that that is something you have to make the conscious choice of every day that you go on set because life happens, things are happening. We’re pushed up against a schedule and I’m just really appreciative that we all collectively agree that we’re in this together, we’re going to have a good time and we’re going to get things done.”

Pfennigwerth characterized the film, which is set to open sometime next year, as “really sweet.”

“There’s a lot of nods to Pittsburgh in it, which is fun,” she said. “I love Pittsburgh; I love being a Yinzer. And there’s been a lot of room and fun discoveries of play with this script.”

Carnegie sites such as the 3rd Street Gallery and Carnegie Coffee Company are featured locations in the film.

Fishel said the Pittsburgh film industry has grown over the past 15 years and he is excited to see it flourish even more.

“I think ‘I Swiped the Wrong One’ will be a fun one to watch,” he said. “I think people will enjoy watching it.

“It’ll be an escape from the troubles of the world for about an hour and a half. And I think it’ll be very relatable to people.”

Young noted the wealth of talent in Pittsburgh.

“I knew there was, but it still makes me beam every single day,” she said.

The director offered advice for creatives in our time of tech and social media.

“As long as you are proud of what you are doing, then you should keep doing it,” she said. “I think a lot of people, including myself, when something goes up online, it takes one bad comment from someone you do not know to really kind of plummet your artistic skill.

“If the first thing that you make is perfect, then you have nowhere to grow. So, it’s really nice to make things that you can look at a year later and think that you would have changed all of this because of course you would. Hopefully you’re learning and you’re growing.”