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Monica Barbaro's guide to running around New York City in heels
By
Sonia Rao
Published Aug 6, 2026
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By
Sonia Rao
Published Aug 6, 2026
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Monica Barbaro is on the run for much of her new film “One Night Only.”
The romantic comedy takes place in an alternate reality where premarital sex is only legal in the United States for one summer night each year. Time is of the essence. Barbaro’s character, Allie, joins thousands of other New Yorkers in sprinting from one bar to the next in pursuit of love — or a one-night stand, at the very least.
It’s an absurd premise that director Will Gluck keeps afloat by focusing on horny shenanigans rather than what led to such a “fascist” law, as one character describes it. Allie overcomes a number of physical obstacles throughout the night, including dodging couples on the sidewalk as they lunge toward one another. At one point, she fights her eventual love interest (Callum Turner) for the last condom available at a store.
But one feat rises above the rest: Allie manages to do all of this in stilettos.
Once you notice the shoes, it’s difficult not to fixate on Barbaro’s physical prowess. Plenty of rom-com heroines have run through New York in heels, but this would be like if Carrie Bradshaw chased Mr. Big in her Manolo Blahniks from the Upper East Side all the way down to the Financial District. Barbaro, an Oscar-nominated actress, plays Allie as a woman so determined that she even runs over treacherous sidewalk grates to find a lover.
“You’re not the only one” to remark on this athletic challenge, Barbaro told Gothamist in a recent interview. “I think it was moderately triggering for some people.”
How did she do it? It might seem like a moot question as you gaze over at the high heels collecting dust in your closet as you continually reach for sneakers and ballet flats. New York is a city of practical footwear.
“It’s the best and worst place to break in a pair of shoes,” Barbaro said.
The actress lived here full time when she attended NYU years ago. “I was perpetually getting blisters from shoes in this city,” she recalled. It happened again during the two-and-a-half months she spent filming “One Night Only.” But she said the culprits were loafers and a pair of kitten heels, never the stilettos.
Step one to running in heels: Come up with an escape plan.
Most people would think that the strapless design of Allie’s heels would make them harder to move in. But according to Barbaro, that wasn’t the case: “It actually feels less dangerous to be able to ditch the shoe than it does to be strapped into it,” she said. Costume designer Jacqueline Demeterio noted that the shoes, which came from a designer called Black Suede Studio, originally “had ankle straps. But I made them into mules.”
Step two: Make sure your body is up for the task.
“I had a lot of calf tension I had to work on after the film,” Barbaro said. But this sort of issue isn’t new to Barbaro. Growing up, she trained in ballet. She graduated from NYU with a dance degree. “There is a natural dexterity that my toes and metatarsals have thanks to years of dance where I can control a shoe like a flip-flop,” she added.
This ability came in handy in a scene where her character strides across a cobblestone street to attend a speed-dating event.
“It’s just about finding the stones that work,” she said. “You’re basically just walking on your toes.” It’s an awkward balancing act, where “I’m trying to look really good on top but I’m, you know, hustling it below.”
It takes some convincing at the start of the film for Allie to put herself out there. But once she commits to the task, she displays a surprising level of tenacity. Gluck is known for having directed breezy comedies such as “Easy A” and “Anyone but You,” but advised Barbaro to watch quicker-paced movies like “Uncut Gems,” “After Hours” and “Midnight Run” as inspiration for the role. In this reality, hooking up is serious business.
Step three: Be slightly delusional about the significance of the task at hand.
It all comes down to your mindset. The adrenaline keeps Allie going, just as the promise of doing her story justice kept Barbaro running in those heels. Were the actress personally dictating Allie’s behavior, she said, “I would probably at some point take off my shoes and just walk on the sidewalk.”
But the character will never quit those fabulous heels. You don’t have to, either.
“Just give yourself a foot massage after,” Barbaro said.
Tagged
Existing in New York City
manhattan
movies
Sonia Rao
Sonia Rao is a culture reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. She previously covered entertainment and breaking news at The Washington Post. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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