'Hollywood came to us': Tommy Lee Jones spotted on 'Finestkind' set in Fairhaven

FAIRHAVEN — After months of anticipation, actor Tommy Lee Jones finally arrived in the SouthCoast to film his parts of the movie "Finestkind."

Filming for "Finestkind" resumed this week in Fairhaven and New Bedford. On Wednesday, filming shut down Hedge Street, Cherry and Cooke streets as well as Taber Street.

Jones was spotted filming scenes inside a house. "He's a nice guy, he's fun," said Producer Gary Foster. "Very nice to work with on this."

Foster said "The Fugitive" Oscar-winner was approached by a few locals who admired his past work. "He was smiling and very happy to see them," he added.

"Finestkind" follows two brothers from opposite sides of the tracks, who are reunited as adults over one fateful summer. When desperate circumstances force them to strike a deal with a dangerous Boston crime syndicate, a young woman finds herself caught in the middle. The film was recently acquired to premiere on Paramount Plus.

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Ben Foster ("Hell and High Water"), Toby Wallace ("The Society"), Tim Daly ("Wings") and Jenna Ortega ("You") also star in the film.

"The weather has been beautiful. We've been very lucky." Foster said. "Everything has been going very well."

Chasing the Fairhaven sunset

On Wednesday evening, crew members quickly assembled at the corner of Church and Main Street in Fairhaven — shutting down Church, Main, Fort and South Street to accommodate the filming.

A scene between Foster and actress Meghan Leathers ("For All Mankind") took place on a guardrail overlooking the harbor. Leathers, who rides up on a blue bicycle, sits with Foster's character for a minute before riding off again up Church Street.

The scene, which was shot for three hours just as the sun was setting, utilized three cameras: two on the ground and one rigged to a crane on the roof of a Mini Cooper.

The filming attracted dozens of locals watching from afar, including the residents inside Westview On Main, a home health care service where the crew was set up on the property's lawn and nearby sidewalk.

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"I think it's pretty cool that they found us. I mean, it's a perfect spot," said Joanne Cunha, who lived further up the road.

Cunha said she had heard about filming in the area, but this was the first time she had witnessed it for herself. "Fairhaven pride," she said with a smile, adding that she was excited to have the town's beautiful picturesque views featured in a film.

"It's kind of a secret place no one knows about," said Lindy Allen, another local who lives two streets away. She and her husband, Nick Allen, were driving home from having dinner at The Black Whale when they saw the roads blocked off.

"We had to come take a look," said Lindy Allen. "I've never seen anything like this. It's very fun to see."

"Fairhaven is buzzing all about this," said Cheryl Pollitzer, another local. She said everyone she knows has been talking about the filming. "Hollywood came to us. And we're very excited to have them."

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On April 20, filming started at Rasputin's Tavern in Fairhaven. Additional filming locations included Scott Street, Egypt Lane, Fort Phoenix, New Bedford-Fairhaven Bridge and the Fairhaven Bike Path.

Brian Helgeland, Oscar-award winner and New Bedford native, wrote the screenplay based on his experience on a scallop boat in the early 80s, while he was attending UMass Dartmouth.

He was adamant about shooting a majority of the film in the New Bedford area.

Wednesday marked the 22nd filming day. According to Foster, filming was set to continue in Fairhaven on Thursday at a location referred to as "the shack."

On Friday, they will be filming on Egypt Lane closing Egypt, Washington Street and the base of Bike Path. Then they will return to New Bedford on Wednesday, May 25, for the final 10 days of filming.

"And then we're done," Foster said with a smile.

Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at schitwood@s-t.com. Follow him on twitter: @ChitwoodReports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Oscar-winner Tommy Lee Jones on set in New Bedford, Fairhaven area