My One and Only, starring Renee Zellweger in a story based on the childhood experiences of actor George Hamilton, is set to begin filming throughout the Baltimore area on Monday. Filming sites will include locations in Baltimore city and county.

Producer Aaron Ryder (Memento) says all but a few days of the film's scheduled 38-day shoot will take place in the Baltimore area. Although "not one frame" of the film is actually set in Baltimore, he said, the area's ability to stand-in for just about any other area of the country makes it perfect for My One and Only, which includes scenes set in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, New York, Boston and Philadelphia.

After leaving Baltimore, the cast and crew will spend a few days in New Mexico, shooting scenes set there and in California.

Shooting in Baltimore, Ryder said yesterday, is proving "the best move we ever made." He praised the efforts of the Maryland Film Commission, headed by Hannah Byron and Jack Gerbes, in helping to scout locations, round up the necessary crew and make life in Charm City as pleasant as possible. He also praised the state's economic incentives program, a series of tax credits and rebates he said were key in bringing the film here.

My One and Only, he noted, negotiated a waiver with the Screen Actors Guild, so that filming will continue even if the guild should vote to go on strike later this month. The threatened strike, however, is affecting the film in other ways: So many films are being made right now, with studios anxious to get as much work done as possible before a strike, that actors are in short supply.

 That's why, Ryder said, he has yet to cast one of the lead male roles in the film, that of the Zellweger character's first husband. Negotiations continue, Ryder said, and an announcement could be made as early as next week.