Q: How is The Town drawn from your own life?
BA: I grew up there, I lived a couple miles away from Charlestown, in Cambridge. But while it was geographically close, it was world’s apart.
And we had heard about that neighborhood, with lots of murders. And over a course of years only a few had been solved, because they had a code of silence. And then the idea of someone being able to kill you with a bunch of people watching, and they wouldn’t get convicted.
So while I knew that, I didn’t feel that I really knew it enough. And I went back when we were making the movie, and did a lot of research on the subject.
Q: What’s it like directing yourself?
BA: I can say that I was very lucky in this movie. I had decided who I wanted, and all my first choices said yes. And I took some comfort in knowing that no matter what happened with my performance, I knew I would always have someone really good to cut to!
But these guys all individually in their own ways, create characters that I was amazed to watch. They brought a tremendous amount of realism to the screen. And they have a lot of integrity, as people and performers.
Q: How did you create such a sense of authenticity?
BA: I tried to pull together a bunch of people I thought would be interesting to talk to, and I made recordings of them. These people were from where the various characters had come from, or the prisons that they went to.
And FBI guys too, and just different people. So the actors seized these avenues, and I think you really see that in their performances. And my approach, was just to provide an environment that the actor would feel comfortable in.
And you know, where they would feel they could take risks, and where they can give their own ideas. And what they’ve thought about and worked on, to try different things.
So I wanted to create a world where they’re completely free, supported, and at ease. But these are all great actors, this is not acting school. You know, I don’t have to tell them anything, they’re brilliant in their own right.
Q: Where did that idea for those creepy nun costumes come from?
BA: What inspired that, was the fact that I wanted off the rack, real costumes. I didn’t want costume designers and special effects people to make masks. Because what those guys would do in reality, was go into Halloween shops.
These guys are Irish Catholics, and where they were going to rob is a traditional Catholic Italian neighborhood. And between the two neighborhoods, there’s been a long standing rivalry and tradition of thumbing noses at each other.
So they wanted to do that, and rob the place at the same time. But there’s no significance, other than the realism of the mask and the fact that it’s an arresting image. And it basically says, bank robbery movie!
