Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
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PhotograPhy by Michael blanchard Johnny Depp and his wife, Amber Heard, greet fans at the Boston premiere of Black Mass at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. Rascal pirate, Mad Hatter, Edward Scissorhands…. For more than three decades, actor (and sometime rock star) Johnny Depp has earned a reputation for transforming him- self quite thoroughly for some of the most outlandish roles in Hollywood. But he made an appearance as himself recently when he hit the red carpet at the Coolidge Corner Theatre for the Boston premiere of Black Mass, a film chronicling the exploit s of t he cit y's most notor ious ga ng leader, Ja mes "Whitey" Bulger. Depp, who also played Boston-born drug lord George Jung in the 2001 flick Blow, strode the red carpet with his wife, Amber Heard, on his arm, then headed across the street to greet the huge crowd that had been waiting for him for hours to pose for pictures with sign-holding fans. His costars—including Massachusetts natives Julianne Nicholson and Erica McDermott, as well as Jesse Plemons and Rory Cochrane—and director Scott Cooper received the fanfare with smiles. "We couldn't have made this film if we didn't shoot it in Boston," said Cooper. He's not the only director to feel that way, as Boston has become a de facto Holly wood East , w it h t he Ghostbusters reboot , Joy, Manchester-by-the-Sea, and The Finest Hours all recently film- ing here. Plemons and Cochrane spent a month in South Boston before Black Mass began shooting, getting to know t he neighborhood people, t he water ing holes, even t he accent. "I think ever yone did ver y well with the Boston accent in the movie," said Nicholson with a laugh as the Medford native took in the roaring crowd. "I wanted to do a movie here for a long time, and to come back and do this Boston story was a huge thrill." L ater t hat even i ng, a f ter i nt roduci ng t he f i l m to a n intimate audience inside the theater, Depp—in true star form—hit the street again to spend more time with fans. BC Here's JoHnny! Megawatt Hollywood star Johnny Depp Has taMed tHe HigH seas, tHe aMerican west, and now Boston. by Jessica bowne 12 bostoncommon-magazine.com FRONT RUNNER