Matt Damon and Casey Affleck are set to film a movie at an iconic bakery in Boston’s Little Italy. The actors will be taking over Bova’s Bakery in the North End for a few scenes in the upcoming movie “The Instigators,” according to The Boston Globe.
“The Instigators,” is an Apple original crime drama starring Damon and Affleck that will be produced between Damon and Ben Affleck’s recently announced studio, Artists Equity, according to Deadline. According to a plot summary shared with Deadline, the movie centers around two thieves who, after a botched robbery, must go on the run with the help of one of their therapists.
Bova’s Bakery, located on the corner of Salem and Prince streets, has been family-run since 1926. The bakery will be closed from March 20 through March 26 for filming, and it announced on its website that any online orders placed between those dates will only be able to ship on March 27.
“I’m happy to do it,” said owner Ralph Bova, in an interview with The Boston Globe, regarding production filming in his bakery. Although excited for the extra publicity, he admits he’s a little nervous about closing down. “I don’t want to deprive my customers.”
This isn’t the first time that Bova’s, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, has had a guest appearance in a movie. According to The Boston Globe, the bakery has featured in the 2005 movie “Fever Pitch” starring Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon, as well as the 2011 romcom “What’s Your Number,” with Anna Farris and Chris Evans.
Damon and the older Affleck are childhood friends who grew up together in Cambridge, a city across the Charles River from Boston. The duo previously wrote and starred together, alongside the late Robin Williams, in the 1997 movie “Good Will Hunting.” Set in Cambridge, the movie won two Academy Awards, including one for Best Original Screenplay. The second Oscar was awarded to Williams for Best Supporting Actor.
Asia London Palomba
Asia London Palomba is a trilingual freelance journalist from Rome, Italy. In the past, her work on culture, travel, and history has been published in The Boston Globe, Atlas Obscura, The Christian Science Monitor, and Grub Street, New York Magazine's food section. In her free time, Asia enjoys traveling home to Italy to spend time with family and friends, drinking Hugo Spritzes, and making her nonna's homemade cavatelli.