Mark Wahlberg and Peter Berg talk "Patriots Day"

MARK WAHLBERG STARS IN THE NEW MOVIE PATRIOTS DAY, A PROJECT THAT IS NOT ONLY CLOSE TO HIS HEART BUT PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PROJECTS HE’S WORKED ON IN HIS ENTIRE CAREER.

Mark Wahlberg worried how the people from his hometown might react when he signed on to star in and produce a movie about the Boston Marathon bombing.
The Dorchester neighborhood native was sure he had an important story to tell. but the 2013 tragedy, which killed three and injured 264 others, had to be told in a sensitive and respectful way. 

Wahlberg and director Peter Berg released Patriots Day on Wednesday 12/21 in Boston, New York and Los Angeles (ahead of the movie’s national release Jan. 13), casting light on the marathon finish-line bombings by homegrown, radicalized terrorist brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
 

Patriots Day focuses on the real-life heroes who emerged from the terrible events that transfixed the nation, from injured spectators such as newlyweds Jessica and Patrick Downes (played by Rachel Brosnahan and Christopher O’Shea) to the authorities who worked together during the 105-hour manhunt to arrest Dzhokhar (Tamerlan died after a shootout), including FBI special agent Richard DesLauriers (Kevin Bacon) and Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis (John Goodman).  
Wahlberg, portrays Sgt. Tommy Saunders, who is  a composite character based on three police officers. He wanted to be the one to show his city coming to life in adversity with the slogan “Boston Strong,” widely embraced in the hours after the attack.

“It was the enormous pride that I felt in seeing how people responded in the face of this tragedy, Wahlberg said during our recent interview in Los Angeles. “Those are my people,” he continued, “I wanted to show the world who they are and what ‘Boston Strong’ really means.”
 

Peter Berg who has now collaborated with Wahlberg on three movies (Deep Water Horizon, Lone Survivor) says he was honored to work on this movie and have many of the real life vicitims and people of Boston involved. 

“This is not just about Boston, it’s about all of us,” he told me during our interview. “Sadly, bad things will continue to happen everywhere, but good people will always come together and fight for what’s right and what is important. Ultimately, love will always win and I want everyone to hear that message.”

 CLICK BELOW to watch my exclusive interviews with Mark Wahlberg and Peter Berg,  Michael Beach and Michelle Monaghan, Themo Melikidze & Jimmy O. Yang and real life survivors of the attack, Patrick Downes and Jessica Kensky.

Patriots Day opens wide in theatres across the country on January 13th, 2017.