It’s hard to think of the Boston Marathon anymore without thinking of the tragedy that happened four years ago. And who better to tell the story of Boston Strong, than a Bostonian? We sat down with Mark Wahlberg and the rest of the cast of “Patriots Day.”
Announcer: “They say a half a million people watch the Boston Marathon here in New England.”
April 15, 2013… the Boston Marathon that no one will ever forget. Four people died and 260 others were injured.
Mark Wahlberg (as Tommy Saunders): “We’ve got multiple explosions down here!”
Mark Wahlberg: “The marathon you know is such a significant thing for the people of Boston. It’s always after a long, cold winter. The weather has just started to break, it’s a celebratory environment families there rooting on their loved ones.”
For Mark Wahlberg and director Peter Berg, it’s their third time teaming up to tell the story of real life heroes. They worked together on “Lone Survivor” and “Deepwater Horizon.”
Kevin Bacon (as Special Agent Richard DesLauriers): “The suspects seen on surveillance cameras. Two bombers.
Mark Wahlberg (as Tommy Saunders): “We gotta find these guys before they do this to someone else.”
Mark plays a Boston police officer hunting the people behind the bombings. Michelle Monaghan plays his wife — and says the pressure was on, because they were re-telling a real story.
Michelle Monaghan: “I feel, certainly, a real responsibility to tell a story that was very authentic to Bostonians.”
For a Bostonian like Mark Wahlberg — this tragedy hit a little too close to home.
Mark Wahlberg: “To have something like this happen, especially in my home, it’s just horrible, horrible thing. I also went to school about between 200-300 yards from the actual finish line.”
Kevin Bacon (as Special Agent Richard DesLauriers): “It’s terrorism.”
While the movie deals with an act of terror — that’s not the focus. The movie’s strength is in its authenticity, not just to the events of the day but also to the human experience.
Peter Berg: “Just because two terrorists, two cowards committed a really cowardly act and hurt people and scared people, doesn’t mean they have the right to take other things away from us, like our capacity to love, like our capacity to laugh.”
Mark Wahlberg (as Tommy Saunders): “We have our arms around each other I don’t think there’s anyway they could ever win.”
The entire project was filmed in the Boston area.
“Patriots Day” is out Jan. 13.
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