Relax: Amsterdam film set bench not stolen, not on Hollywood backlot
Many people panicked when Ansel Elgort, protagonist of the American hit movie The Fault In Our Stars (TFIOS), posted pictures on Instagram of what seemed to be the Amsterdam bench, made famous by the movie, in the grounds of 20th Century Fox Studios in Hollywood.
The bench is a tribute to the successful film. It plays a big role in the story of two in love teenagers with cancer. The battered object became world famous when the copy on which the key scene revolves, disappeared this summer. The municipality placed a replica as to not disappoint the many fans. The municipality launched an investigation into the authenticity of the bench that surfaced in Hollywood. A spokesman quickly reported that: "Judging from the photos it looks like the one in Hollywood is narrower than the original." In the course of the morning it was confirmed that the Hollywood bench is indeed a fake; it lacks the scratches and damage of the original.
Charlene Verweij, another spokesperson for the City of Amsterdam, said to the NL Times: "People can still come to the City of Amsterdam and sit on the same bench that they kissed on." The film and the bench brought the city a lot of publicity. Teenagers from all over the world come to Amsterdam to take a picture where the movie was recorded.
