Jennifer Lopez, other celebs film new television show at local donut shop

Move over Hollywood!

For two days, the spotlight was on a long-time Bay Ridge donut shop. Mike’s Donuts, 6822 Fifth Avenue, served as a production location for the upcoming crime drama series, “Shades of Blue,” which stars Jennifer Lopez, Drea de Matteo and Ray Liotta, directed by Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson.

For two days, Wednesday, June 10 and Thursday, June 11, the talent and crew of the show, slated to make its debut in January, 2016, made their way to the donut shop, which has been a Bay Ridge fixture for 38 years, to film both interior and exterior scenes.

Gus Neamonitis, son of Mike, the store’s owner, was thrilled to see some of Hollywood’s biggest stars film at the shop. “It was great. Jennifer Lopez did a quick scene in the store. She came in and took pictures of me and two of my nephews. It was nice having a star as big as her come here and film in our store. Bay Ridge was buzzing about it,” he said, adding that the other actors were just as gracious.

“Having Ray Liotta here was really nice,” Neamonitis went on. “I talked to him. Being a big fan of his from ‘Goodfellas,’ it was really great to see him. They were really down to earth. You wouldn’t expect it from stars that are that big but they were all very nice.”

The actors even took advantage of the store’s tasty treats. “Drea de Matteo said she wanted donuts,” recalled Neamonitis. “She liked the sugar donuts. We gave her a bag of them.”

Along with providing a location for the show, Neamonitis also got to play a part. “I was an extra in a scene,” he said. “It was cool. I don’t know to what extent they’re going to use it. I can’t say too much about it but we interact in the show.”

Besides his personal experience, Neamonitis said the two days represented a significant moment for the neighborhood. “It was a great experience, not just for me but for my family and everyone that works here,” he said. “I think it was a nice experience for Bay Ridge to have stars like this come here and recognize our community and see how nice it really is. We don’t get the same press here like Park Slope or DUMBO get. The neighbors loved it as they shouted the actors’ names.”

“Shades of Blue” focuses on a single mom who works undercover for the FBI on an anti-corruption task force unit and will air on NBC.