A little movie-making magic brought the essence of Hollywood to little old Wellesley Square today as large, equipment-filled trucks commandeered the area, creating bustle, stirring up the curiosity of the locals, and taking up parking spaces (though at least some of the crew was parking on Rte. 9).
Early this morning, my cell phone started blowing up with texts from inquiring minds, pictures of the scene, and wry observations of the hubbub. A quick look at my email showed more of the same. This is why I love Swellesley readers — when something happens around town, they are ON IT.
Here’s the deal: According to the Wellesley police, “There is an independent film company shooting a scene at [the Amarin restaurant on Grove Street].” An additional source noted that a script labeled Thoroughbred was casually lying on the sidewalk. An indie film, Thoroughbred is about two teenage girls in suburban Connecticut who rekindle their unlikely friendship after years of growing apart. In the process, they learn that neither is what she seems to be, and that a murder might solve both of their problems.
The movie is written and directed by award-winning playwright Cory Finley, who is trying his hand at film, and stars Olivia Cooke (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl); Anya Taylor-Joy, who has a leading role in the upcoming film Barry which explores the time when Barack Obama was a college student in New York City; and Anton Yelchin, (Star Trek Beyond). Yelchin, for one, may be no stranger to Wellesley since another of his movies, The Greens are Gone, filmed at Elm Bank back in 2014. That movie has not yet been released.
We’re not sure which, if any, of the actors are on location, but it seems likely that soon enough the essence of all that movie-making glitter will take flight and we’ll be back to our plain old Wellesley Square again.
Wellesley has been the location of movie-making in the past, including for The Company Men and Mona Lisa Smile. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past was also filmed in part at Elm Bank. Also, the Connecticut Lottery has filmed a commercial here.
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