University of the Pacific’s Stockton Campus transforms into Ludlow College for the upcoming HBO comedy series “Rooster” starring Steve Carell, which premieres this Sunday.

The university’s picturesque ivy-covered buildings were used as the backdrops to many of the show’s campus scenes.

“We needed to find a classic-looking New England liberal arts college somewhere in California,” Bill Lawrence, creator and executive producer of “Rooster,” told Pacific student Rose Krueger ’27 during a New York interview. “When we went up there and toured the place, not only was the campus itself so nice, but the people and the students were so nice. It just felt like a really good fit.”

Pacific students, faculty and staff took a turn in the spotlight, serving as background actors during the filming, which took place last summer.

“Seeing how much effort was put into the production of just a single scene was mind blowing,” said Elizabeth Elliot ’25, a recent sociology graduate and the star center on the Tigers women’s basketball team. “It was cool to see actors and actresses who we recognized from other movies and series up close and in person. It was an incredible experience, and I can’t wait to watch the show when it’s released. It’ll be amazing to see how they captured our campus and see the scenes we were part of come to life.”

To transform into a film set, the vibrant “Pacific orange” typically seen on campus was replaced with “Ludlow blue” on maintenance carts, flags, posters and benches.

“It was interesting to see all the small details the crew transformed, even down to the flyers on the campus marquis being custom designed for the show and ‘New Student’ brochures being put together for Ludlow College,” said Megan Black ’13, ’14, ’23, professor of speech-language pathology and an extra on the show. “It was so much fun getting to film on the campus that I consider my second home.”

Major scenes were filmed around Knoles Hall, Faye Spanos Concert Hall and Anderson Hall. The Janet Leigh Theatre was used as a holding space for actors and props. Catering, wardrobe and trailers were set up in the parking lot behind the Don and Karen DeRosa University Center, acting as a main hub for crew members to check in and go through processing.

The experience gave students the opportunity to see how a professional film crew works and get a first-hand look at some tricks of the trade.

“We shot during the hottest months in Stockton, but the show was trying to capture an East Coast fall semester,” Elliot explained. “We were layered up in coats and beanies while it was 90 plus degrees out. They planted fake bushes, piles of leaves and even sprayed the concrete down between every take to capture the ambience they were searching for.

“Some scenes took 40 minutes and six background actors while a larger scene would take up to three hours and used over 100 people moving from mark to mark. We also learned how to pantomime, which is essentially fake talking while we stood or walked to our mark when the cameras were rolling,” she said.

Krueger, a music management major, was invited to represent Pacific at the show’s premiere in New York March 3 and participate in a press junket, where she interviewed Lawrence and co-showrunner Matt Tarses. Lawrence is known for his work as creator, writer and producer for the hit television show “Ted Lasso” and both he and Tarses were writers and producers for “Scrubs.”

“Being able to represent Pacific in New York was such an incredible opportunity because not only did it allow me to explore the city, but it also allowed me to meet so many amazing individuals involved in ‘Rooster,’" Krueger said. “I also got to attend such exciting press events, including the press junket, press conference and the premiere, which were unforgettable experiences. During the press junket, Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses were so kind and genuinely excited to talk about their experience filming at our university.”

“This has been an amazing experience for our students,” said President Christopher Callahan. “To have a student get to fly to New York for the premiere and for others to have the experience of watching a major production come to life—that’s an unbelievable opportunity. We are thrilled the crew chose to come to Pacific and look forward to seeing the campus shine on the screen.”

Pacific’s history with Hollywood goes back to the 1940s. Academy Award winner “All the King’s Men” (1949), “Flubber” (1997) starring Robin Williams and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981) are a few of the movies that have been filmed on campus.

The 10-episode series “Rooster” debuts March 8 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max. New episodes will air weekly through Sunday, May 10.

A screening will take place for students, faculty, staff and alumni March 15 at 7 p.m. at the Janet Leigh Theatre.