Bova's Bakery owner 'a little nervous' but excited to close for Damon/Affleck movie shoot
BOSTON - It was last call for cannolis, cookies and pastries at Bova's Bakery on Sunday for a week. The nearly 100-year-old North End shop is temporarily shutting down to accommodate a movie shoot featuring some hometown celebrities.
The bakery will be closed through Saturday for the filming of "The Instigators" starring Matt Damon and Casey Affleck. According to Deadline, the movie is about two thieves who go on the lam with help from a therapist after a robbery goes bad.
It's unusual for the 24/7 bakery to take a break.
"I was a little nervous because I didn't want to deprive my customers because we've never shut down before," Ralph Bova, one of the owners, told WBZ-TV. "But it sounds like a great movie and hopefully my customers will understand."
Bova said the production is covering the bakery's expenses, including paying the staff during the shutdown. He hopes everything goes according to plan because there's a big holiday coming up.
"When they take my showcases out, hopefully they come back the same way they went out," he said. "I have Easter right around the corner and it's my busiest time of the year so I need to get everything back in place."
Damon and Ben Affleck's new production company Artists Equity is behind the movie. The pair who grew up together in Cambridge told CBS Sunday Morning that the goal with their new venture is to give the film crew a bigger slice of the financial pie. The company's first movie is called "Air" and tells the story of Nike building a shoe brand around Michael Jordan.
When it comes to "Instigators," Bova said he'd be happy to make a cameo.
"They haven't asked me yet, but if they want me I'm available," he said.