Vancouver
Vancouver has played New York, Tokyo, Seattle and San Francisco in film and television shows. Reuters

In Jackie Chan's big North American break, "Rumble in the Bronx," he plays a Hong Kong cop who's in New York for a wedding but ends up fighting local gangs. The gritty streets, graffiti-covered walls and mountains serve as the backdrop for Chan's stunts and fisticuffs. But mountains and NYC don't add up -- that's because the movie was filmed in Vancouver, which stands in for nearly every city on countless shows and films.

Vancouver is one of the largest film production cities in the world, along with Los Angeles, New York City and Toronto -- the Canadian cities have been dubbed North Hollywood. The website Every Frame a Painting uploaded a new video that reveals how versatile Vancouver is as a city backdrop. "Fifty Shades of Grey" was filmed in Vancouver, as were the "Twilight Saga," "Tomorrowland," "I, Robot" and "Wicker Man." The coming "Star Trek 3" began filming in the city and will wrap up production at the end of September. Production for the new "Power Rangers" movie will call Vancouver home in January 2016.

Television production has its own storied history in Vancouver. "The X-Files," "Smallville," "Supernatural," "Once Upon a Time," "Psych," "MacGyver" and "Bates Motel" shot in Vancouver. "Arrow" Season 4, "DC Legends of Tomorrow," "IZombie," "Minority Report," "Once Upon a Time" Season 5 and "The Flash" are currently in production.

While the city is a thriving creative and artistic hub, there is a notable counterpoint to its success: Vancouver never plays itself.

Learn all about the movie magic that lets Vancouver serve as "every city" below.