Five nights in Cannes provided star-studded backdrop to romance
The road to romance for Lauren Gabor and Scott Goldstein passed through the heart of Manhattan, made a brief stop at a star-studded poolside party at the Cannes Film Festival, and finally settled in Windsor Square, where the couple has lived in a meticulously maintained Craftsman since 1989. In the intervening years, they married at the Albertson Wedding Chapel, had two children, Calli and Jordan, and fully embraced the neighborhood they call home.
AT HOME with Lauren and Scott in Windsor Square.
When Lauren and Scott were first introduced, they barely took note of each other. Lauren, a fine artist working in oils, had been raised in New York City’s Greenwich Village with her parents and a sister. After college she first worked in the art scene and then the film industry, landing a position based in the storied Brill Building on Broadway in New York City. She was introduced to the various directors who were working in the facility, including Francis Ford Coppola, the Coen brothers, Susan Seidelman, Alan Pakula and a promising young filmmaker — Scott Goldstein.
Their encounter didn’t really register. Lauren explains, “He was married. I had a boyfriend. I waved. We never talked.”
Scott, a writer, director and producer of such films as “Levitation,” and who is very involved in Windsor Square, working to add to the flourishing tree canopy, grew up with two siblings in the New York City suburbs. He is a trained musician, worked in the theater, then began making films, which is what brought him to the building where the couple first met. He notes that over the many months he was finishing his film he would “get into the elevator every day and see the same people.” He realizes he was introduced to Lauren at some point, but it took a chance meeting in France to kindle the romance.
Lauren’s previous relationship had broken up by 1987 and she wanted a change in her life. Fluent in French, she bid adieu to New York and jumped the Atlantic Ocean to move permanently, she thought, to Avignon, France. There, Lauren contacted a producer she had met at the Brill Building who ran the Avignon Film Festival. He hired her, and they went to the Cannes Film Festival to promote their work. There, he introduced Lauren to a talented filmmaking friend of his, Scott Goldstein. It changed Lauren’s life.
At first Lauren and Scott didn’t remember each other, but Lauren definitely noticed him this time around. She explains, “He was a dark-haired, handsome man in red Ray-Bans. A little flashy!”
Scott, who was divorced by then, continues, “I had been given two free tickets to THE party at Cannes. I thought, ‘What do I do with the second ticket?’”
LAUREN GABOR AND SCOTT GOLDSTEIN wedding reception, New York City, 1991.
He asked Lauren if she would be interested in going with him, and she immediately said, “Yes.”
At the party, Lauren and Scott settled by the pool and talked. Scott notes that she was easy to talk to and they shared many interests, including a love of classical music.
“It was her friendly openness, her intelligence, her artistic temperament, curiosity and kindness … that turned my attention into admiration,” he continues. “Her manner sprinkled magic dust into the space between us, pulling us together.” Scott also thought she was “the most beautiful woman in Cannes!”
A commotion arose as paparazzi swarmed around the arriving Mel Gibson. “He sat next to us, but I was so into Scott I didn’t react,” Lauren remembers. “Scott was a musician! He directed a play! Made a documentary about Beethoven! This guy is only 32. He’s so impressive! Does it get any better than this?”
It got too late for Lauren to return to the shabby hotel room she was sharing with five girls. Scott offered to let her stay with him instead, and they drove up into the hills where he had rented a villa.
“I never went back to my room!” Lauren exclaims. They spent the remaining five festival nights together.
After Cannes, they returned to their normal lives; he to Los Angeles, she to Avignon, but a few months later she visited Scott in his home above Sunset Plaza and never left.
One day while gazing out their picture window, she saw a lush patch of greenery in the distance and went to explore.
“This is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen,” she thought when she found Hancock Park and Windsor Square. A particular house caught her eye. She left a note for the current owners to call her if they had any interest in selling. They called that night, and shortly thereafter Lauren and Scott moved into the home they still live in today, surrounded by the leafy beauty that originally captivated her.
Category: People