Massachusetts actors and locations play roles in 2 Golden Globe nominated movies
BOSTON - Two movies with ties to Massachusetts have been nominated for Golden Globe Awards.
"We have two films that were shot here locally that are getting a lot of buzz for the Golden Globes, American Fiction and The Holdovers," said Boston Casting co-owner Lisa Lobel.
Both movies are nominated for:
- Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
- Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
The Holdovers also received a nomination for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture.
"Both have a lot of local actors cast in pretty big roles here," Lobel told WBZ.
Lobel has been involved in both movies from the start, but she said working with Director Alexander Payne on The Holdovers has been one of her favorite experiences.
"He has a script and Paul Giamatti and it was like okay let's see what happens," Lobel said.
That led to casting New Hampshire native Ian Dolley and Roxbury native Naheem Garcia in the film.
Dolley was just 14-years-old when The Holdovers was shot. He played one of the boys at the New England prep school with nowhere to go over Christmas break.
"It was super exciting because I always knew going into it, that this is going to be a really good movie," Dolley told WBZ. "You only ever see it in L.A. or Hollywood, big names that are doing this stuff so it's really cool for someone like me who goes to a public school in New Hampshire to be in The Holdovers."
Garcia plays Danny the maintenance man in the movie.
"Boston Casting gave me my first big film break and I got casted here, I've never looked back. It's been great," Garcia told WBZ.
Nicole Kempskie grew up in Auburn, and she says she immediately related to her part in American Fiction.
"It skirts on humor, but at the same time it's using humor to get these really serious and important issues across," she said.
She plays the moderator at the Massachusetts Festival of Books in the film. And to her surprise, she was in the first scene in the trailer for the movie.
"I was in the theatre and I saw the trailer for American Fiction come up and it started with my voice and it's surreal," she told WBZ.
The opportunity to make movies of this caliber in Massachusetts means even more than being nominated to the actors and Boston Casting.
"This is where I got my acting start in Boston so to me it's so iconic to be coming back," Kempskie said.
"One movie provides a lot of jobs let's keep that in mind, so the opportunity to come to work not just the actors, but all the stuff that happens behind the scenes," Garcia said.
Movie watchers will notice New England locations in both films.
"American Fiction had a lot on the beach in Scituate which people will recognize," Lobel told WBZ.
"The big scenes in the house where Mary is watching TV, that happened in a church around the corner of where I used to live in Dorchester," Garcia said.
They hope that more films come to the area, and that their works serves as a reminder that no matter where you're from one day you might just be part of a movie nominated for a Golden Globe too.
"The kids are in the neighborhood are looking out their windows, watching this movie being made and the message I hope they get is I can do this too and it can happen here," Garcia told WBZ.
Massachusetts has great film tax credits, and great locations which is attracting more movies. And Boston Casting says that there are more exciting films on the horizon for New England.
The Golden Globe Awards air on Sunday, January 7 at 8 p.m. on CBS.