Three years after the Boston marathon bombing, Mark Wahlberg and director Peter Berg have teamed up to come up with the film adaptation of the event that rocked Boston entitled "Patriots Day." Alex Wolff recently revealed how he was tricked into auditioning for the movie as one of the bombers and the brother of the mastermind of the attack.
Wolff shared that the part he auditioned for was described as a 19-year-old kid, cocky, influenced by hip hop, and desperately wants to please his brother. The actor told The Wrap that when he got the script, he did not see any description about the Boston Marathon bomber. However, when he googled the name Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, that was the only time that he realized he was auditioning for one of the bombers' role. He also noted that when the explosions went off in 2013 and it was all over the news, many told him that he looked like the younger brother.
He noted that Tsarnaev was on the cover of one Rolling Stone issue and even his parents were shocked to see how similar he looked like with the Boston marathon bomber. Wolff said that he knew at the back of his mind that if ever a movie about the incident will be produced, he would at least be considered. However, he revealed that when he was offered the part of Tsarnaev on "Patriots Day," he and his family were hesitant. His father is Michael Wolff, the jazz pianist, and Polly Draper.
Wolff continued to say that his mother told him she was not letting her son be seen in this light but he pointed out that he wanted to be part of history and tell the story of the Boston marathon bombing. He added, "If I didn't play this role, someone else will do it and it might be out of the character, and he wouldn't get into who he is and he maybe wouldn't see the vulnerabilities that I did of trying to please his older brother."
Instead of thinking about his character as a terrorist, Wolff said that he looked at it the other way as he tapped on the less violent traits of Tsarnaev. The actor also said that he read the Twitter feed of Tsarnaev in order to get into the role even more for "Patriots Day." However, he noted that he would never meet Tsarnaev in person.
As for the positive feedbacks about "Patriots Day," The Hollywood Reporter shared that when the flick was being filmed around Boston, many believed that it was too soon. Even Wahlberg, who stars as a cop in "Patriots Day" had reservations about starring in the film because it was too much of a touchy subject. The movie was shown in Boston via an early screening and the people gave their blessing to the movie. The movie was crafted in such a way that it would not be too painful for the victims and their friends to watch as per other reports.
The film also stars John Goodman, J.K. Simmons, Kevin Bacon, Michelle Monaghan, and Themo Melikidze. "Patriots Day" will be out in select theaters this December 21 and will have a wider release in January.
