Ben Affleck brings 'The Town' premiere home to Fenway
Now here's something you don't see every day: a shiny new Hollywood movie premiering in a classic American ballpark. Fenway Park, to be specific, because the movie is "The Town," and director-co-writer-star Ben Affleck shot that puppy in Boston, his not-quite-hometown.
Also taking the field for "The Town" team: Blake Lively, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Renner, Chris Cooper and Jon Hamm, with Jennifer Westfeldt of course. Still, this is not a baseball movie -- it's about four bank robbers from the city's Charlestown neighborhood who have crime-fighters hot on their heels.
The film was shown on a giant screen placed on the third-base dugout, the Boston Globe said, with 1,770 fans in the stands cheering some of the movie's familiar landmarks, and 500 or so invited to a VIP after-party on site. Childhood pal Matt Damon brought his dad Kent -- both of them in Red Sox caps -- and Penn Badgley, whose "Easy A" premiered in L.A. on Monday, showed up for girlfriend Lively's big night. (Click the picture of Damon at right to launch a photo gallery of red carpet arrivals.)
Renner chatted with WBZ News about the "terrifying" local accent. Said the guy whose ...
Affleck and Hamm, hot off film festivals in Toronto and Venice, talked to the Boston Fox station about bringing it home -- see the video below.
"The Town" opens in U.S. theaters on Friday.
-- Christie D'Zurilla
Top photo: The cast of "The Town" -- Chris Cooper, left, Rebecca Hall, John Hamm, Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner and Blake Lively -- show for the film's Boston premiere at Fenway Park on Tuesday. Credit: Michael Dwyer / Associated Press
Second photo: Matt Damon at Fenway Park on Tuesday. Credit: Brian Snyder / Reuters
