Mark Wahlberg was shooting a Boston bombing movie at the marathon finish line today for 'real authenticity'


One of the easiest criticisms to level at a film is that it is "not realistic enough," but Mark Wahlberg and the team behind the movie Patriots Day might be taking that a bit too seriously. Wahlberg was spotted dressed as a police officer at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday as part of filming for the Peter Berg-directed movie about the 2013 marathon bombings, The Washington Post reports.
"We're aspiring for real authenticity so that means filming in real locations. We will always ask and we will always be transparent with what our ask is. If there's one person who's uncomfortable, we're more than happy to go elsewhere," Berg told The Boston Globe last month.
Already in Watertown — where police got in a shootout with the brothers who set off the bombs — residents have opposed Berg and his team recreating the gun battle. "For me it was just: There's no way they can do this. Because I'm thinking to myself: That's going to stir things up all over again," one resident, Maria Van Ryn, told NPR.
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But the cast and crew have stressed the importance of using real locations for the film. "There's huge pressure to get this right, but we're committed to doing that," Wahlberg said.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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