Johnny Depp as Whitey Bulger films ‘Black Mass’ in Cambridge. Credit: Nicolaus Czarnecki, Metro
Boston-area fans hoping to catch a glimpse of Hollywood star Johnny Depp were treated to much more on Wednesday – they got a smile and a wave as the actor took a brief break from filming “Black Mass” in Cambridge.
Depp, who plays infamous South Boston mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger in the movie, was filming at the Cambridge Street Polish American Club. The club has been transformed into Triple O’s — a known hangout of Whitey’s — for the film.
In between takes, Depp took a short break and left the set in a car. As he did so, he waved out the car window and smiled to fans lined along the road. He was wearing full dress and makeup, complete with a slicked back receding hairline and large, ’80s-style sunglasses.
According to IMDB, “Black Mass,” directed by Scott Cooper, is the true story of Billy Bulger, Whitey Bulger, FBI agent John Connelly and the FBI’s witness protection program that was created by J. Edgar Hoover.
A plot summary on the site states, “John Connolly and James “Whitey” Bulger grew up together on the streets of South Boston. Decades later, in the late 1970s, they would meet again. By then, Connolly was a major figure in the FBI’s Boston office and Whitey had become godfather of the Irish Mob. What happened between them – a dirty deal to trade secrets and take down Boston’s Italian Mafia in the process – would spiral out of control, leading to murders, drug dealing, racketeering indictments, and, ultimately, to Bulger making the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List.”
It stars Depp, Dakota Johnson and Juno Temple, and it slated for an October 2015 release.
The Boston Globe reported Wednesday that Sherlock’s Benedict Cumberbatch may be tapped to play Billy Bulger in the film.
