As I mentioned,we were extras in The Fighter yesterday thanks to Beinamovie.com.
The Fighter stars Mark Wahlberg as boxer Mickey Ward who won the world light welterweight title in the 80s. Ward was guided to the championship by his half-brother Dicky (played by Christian Bale), a boxer-turned-trainer who rebounded in life after beating an addiction to drugs and alcohol.
Yesterday, they filmed two scenes at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell, MA. In the first scene, the two boxers, Ward and Sanchez, walk into the arena and enter the ring. Not very interesting. What was interesting was that the extras (who were filling out the crowd in the arena) had to pantomime clapping and cheering in several takes so they could add the sound in later. They also filled in some of the seats with dummies like the one below. Sitting in a sea of dummies (whose faces would occasionally fall off their blown up heads) was the stuff nightmares are made of.
The second scene was the actual fight. They filmed several takes of several rounds, ending in a KO by Ward.
Despite rumors Christian Bale would be in the scene he was not, but Amy Adams was there. She plays Mickey’s girlfriend, Charlene, and was there to support him during the fight (wearing a tight, short, very 80’s, black dress). After Ward wins the final round, she runs into the ring and they kiss.
Interestingly, there was little interaction between Wahlberg and Adams when they weren’t filming. The only interaction I noticed was once as he passed by her with his gloves still on, he playfully pretended to punch her in the stomach. I would have assumed two actors playing a couple would be friendlier off screen, it was borderline awkward, even from the stands.
Here is a picture inside the arena. Wahlberg is standing on the left side of the ring. Cameras and phones were strictly prohibited but somehow my iPhone made inside, oops. (Its our little secret.)
It was also interesting to hear Wahlberg get direction. He was told several times (over a loud speaker) to hit differently or walk differently, he definitely took it all in stride. He was also there early in the morning before the shoot even began and was rehearsing and chatting with the crew.
One note for potential onlookers: The security on this film takes themselves way to seriously. A cameraman from a local TV station came in and asked if he could take a few shots of the extras entering the stadium. He was told (very rudely) to leave or he would be “escorted out.” Later, I was waiting for John (the other half of OLV who had run out to the car) on a public sidewalk that just happened to be within view of the actor’s trailers. While I was waiting I was questioned (rudely) about what I was doing there. We had a similar experience at The Company Men while they were filming in Boston and on the set of Shutter Island last year. Massachusetts film sets are definitely not fan friendly. On a personal note, I think its a shame because fans, like us, who travel to MA to see these productions spend money while they are there. They pay the state’s road tolls, rent rooms in their hotels and buy things in their shops, but I guess MA doesn’t need any additional tourist dollars.
Overall, it was a really fun day. Definitely check out Beinamovie.com and look for any productions they might need extras for in the future. Oh, and I forgot to mention, they feed you all day too!
Based on a few casting calls I’ve seen, it looks like they willbe filming exteriors in Lowell again tomorrow. If you have any stories or pictures from the set you want to share, send them to us at olv@onlocationvacations.com!
I can’t wait to watch Bale as ex-fighter!
I actually am from Lowell MA and have known Dicky Eckland (Micky Wards brother and the character Christian Bale is playing) from being my neighbors close friend. I am about to scout around the city today looking for Wahlberg and Bale. Ill keep you posted!
Tell me when Donnie Wahlberg will be on the set of The Zookeeper in Dorchester!!
I was there on Thursday….I’m not sure when you were there, but Christian was on set when I was there. He was amazing!! I was lucky enough to sit ringside and hear everything the actors and director were saying. It will go down as one of the best days of my life.
i was also there on thursday afternoon and christian was there. they were filming a fight scene & it was amazing! everyone was extremely nice & i wish my phone would have made it in. great memories though!