'We're having fun just watching': Business owners, locals watch 'Finestkind' car chase scene

NEW BEDFORD — Filming for the Hollywood movie "Finestkind" continued on Wednesday, featuring a car speeding through the South End — attracting many curious locals.

"We're having fun just watching," said Tasha Telles, owner of Beira Mar Bakery on Cove Street. "We might be caught in the act, like our sign."

Telles said it was business as usual for the bakery, uninterrupted by the filming that took place a few blocks up the street. "It was a little confusing this morning for my elderly clients," she admitted, adding that she let them park in a "no parking" area as street parking was closed.

"It's just been fun being part of it all," she said.

Wednesday marked the seventh day of filming out of the movie's 34-day production schedule. After filming for the past two days on Briggs Street, this was their biggest shoot to date, closing multiple streets to accommodate a stunt featuring a car.

Cove Street between JFK Memorial Highway and Viall Street were closed along with many side streets.

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"They gave us notices a few weeks ago," said Susie Amaral, owner of Alianca Restaurant on Cove Street.

"They put notices on all the doors, letting [us] know that they were going to be here around this time."

Amaral said the crew was already filming by the time she arrived to open the restaurant around 9:30 a.m.

"They're working their way this way," she said, adding that she heard they were filming different sections of a "chase scene" in two-hour increments.

"It's kind of cool to see them around the town," Amaral added.

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Crowds gather to watch car scene

"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.

Wednesday's scene featured a red car with a camera mounted to the hood. During the filming, there were several background actors driving cars slowly down the street while the main car sped past them down Cove Street, drove over a curb and dodged a garbage truck on Harbor Street.

Toby Wallace ("The Society") and Jenna Ortega ("You") were spotted on set.

"Sometimes you just take for granted how beautiful it is downtown near the port," said Amaral. "It's kind of cool that they felt like we were worth being a part of a movie. It's a huge deal."

Amaral worked as a waitress at Alianca for 15 years before taking over the business three years ago. She said aside from the filming, another exciting moment to happen in front of her restaurant is the New Bedford Half Marathon.

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"They pass right in front of here," she said. "That was really exciting. I had the music blasting. We were giving out some waters, motivating them."

"Finestkind" also stars Ben Foster ("Hell and High Water") and Oscar-winner Tommy Lee Jones.

"I could watch this all day," said Donna Contellio, who walked over from a few blocks away. She and ten other people gathered in front of Beira Mar Bakery to watch the filming and sneak a few photos and videos with their phones.

Oscar-winning "Finestkind" director Brian Helgeland, a New Bedford Native and 1983 UMass Dartmouth grad, was nearby working inside a large production van parked on Cove Street.

Filming resumed later in the afternoon around the New Bedford area. The production will next be in the Stoughton/Brockton area for the next few days, before returning to the city to film more scenes on Monday.

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: Hollywood movie 'Finestkind' films speeding car scene in New Bedford