How Real Bostonians Helped Make Patriots Day

When Mark Wahlberg said that director Peter Berg and company were “committed” to getting Patriots Day right, he wasn’t kidding.

According to a new video featurette released by CBS Films on Wednesday, the filmmakers tried to achieve that goal by enlisting as many real life Bostonians as they could to help out during filming for the Boston Marathon bombing movie. From working as consultants on the set to appearing as actors in the film, locals had a hand in virtually every part of the production.

“We were humbled and very thankful for the way they opened up to us and became partners in ensuring the story was told in a very authentic way,” Berg says in the clip.

In addition to highlighting the spirit of Bostonians, Berg wanted to make sure that every bit of the project was as true to life as possible. That’s why he chose to film several scenes at the actual locations where some of the events occurred, including the home of slain MIT police officer Sean Collier.

“It’s such a sensitive subject matter and Boston is such a small place, everybody knows somebody who was directly effected,” Wahlberg says in the video. “Pete cares. He wants to tell the stories of these heroes.”

Patriots Day, which also stars J.K. Simmons, Kevin Bacon, and John Goodman, opens in Boston on December 21.

Check out the full featurette above.