On its 20th anniversary, Hasitha Fernando looks at the story behind Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning crime drama The Departed…
Martin Scorsese is a filmmaker that requires no introduction. Influenced by his New York upbringing and Italian-American family background the uber-talented director made a niche for himself crafting gritty, blood-soaked crime dramas as evidenced by Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Goodfellas and Casino. After helming the critically lauded period flick Gangs of New York and the Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator in the early 2000s, The Departed saw Scorsese return to his familiar genre roots to deliver a high-stakes, gangster drama with a stacked cast. As the film celebrates its 20th anniversary we take this opportunity to look back at its behind-the-scenes story…
The movie was a loose remake of a popular Hong Kong cop thriller
Infernal Affairs, released in 2002, is often considered to be one of the best Hong Kong cop thrillers as it featured a pair of electrifying performances courtesy of Andy Lau and Tony Leung Chiu-wai, an engrossing narrative and a postcolonial identity crisis ridden Hong Kong. Directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak from a screenplay by Felix Chong and Mak, the story follows an undercover police officer who infiltrates the triad, whilst another infiltrates the police force. The critical and commercial success of the first film prompted multiple sequels which were both released the following year. That same year, Warner Bros. Pictures and Plan B producers Brad Pitt and Brad Grey bought the rights to remake the original film from the Media Asia Entertainment Group for a sum of $1.75 million. Plan B then secured the talents of Kingdom of Heaven scribe William Monahan, to shift the narrative of Infernal Affairs to American soil and make it be a conflict between the Irish American mob and the Boston’s Southie district law enforcement.
Martin Scorsese was Warner Bros. one and only choice to helm the film
Martin Scorsese is a legend. A major figure of the New Hollywood era, Scorsese, has won numerous accolades and is often considered one of the greatest filmmakers in the history of cinema due to his critically acclaimed efforts which include the likes of Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino, Gangs of New York and The Aviator. When Monahan had finished crafting the script for the film, Warner Bros. had only one filmmaker in mind to helm their remake, and that was the man himself. Scorsese agreed to direct the movie because he was captivated by Monahan’s screenplay and it reminded him of the 1949 crime-noir White Noise starring James Cagney, which also shared a similar premise. Surprisingly, Scorsese was unaware that The Departed was a remake of a Hong Kong movie until he signed on and he did his utmost to not watch it until he’d wrapped production.
Brad Pitt was supposed to play Matt Damon’s character originally
One of the most highly respected talents in present day Hollywood, Matt Damon gained greater prominence in the industry with the Gus Van Sant drama Good Will Hunting in 1997, which Damon co-wrote with his close friend Ben Affleck. He further cemented himself as a leading man with The Talented Mr. Ripley, the Bourne franchise and the Ocean’s trilogy. Originally, it was Brad Pitt who was tentatively scheduled to play Colin Sullivan. But Pitt declined the opportunity, saying a younger actor would be a better for the role of Sullivan. Another reason Pitt turned down the role was that he was more interested in working with Alejandro G. Iñárritu in Babel. In spite of not being involved in the production as an actor Pitt continued to produce the effort through his production company Plan B. To remedy the issue one of Scorsese’s associates Kenneth Lonergan suggested approaching Matt Damon for the part, as the actor grew up in Boston itself. Damon jumped at the opportunity and signed on to work in the film.
Frank Costello’s role was expanded significantly once Jack Nicholson came on board
To say Frank Costello is a despicable character would be an understatement, and without Jack Nicholson’s brilliant performance the character wouldn’t be as memorable either. But quite interestingly, Scorsese originally wanted Al Pacino for the part, as he had not worked with the veteran Hollywood actor before. Although Pacino would later go on to work with Scorsese in The Irishman a few years later, in this instance the performer turned down the opportunity that was offered. Scorsese’s second choice for the role was Jack Nicholson, but even he had initial reservations about joining the project. These doubts were dissipated when he had a meeting with Scorsese, Monahan and DiCaprio and the promise to expand his role significantly within the story. Another reason Nicholson came on board was because he wanted to play a more villainous role and badly wanted a change of scenery from the world of comedy. The film was also the first teaming of the iconic Hollywood actor with the legendary filmmaker.
Leonardo DiCaprio gained fifteen pounds of muscle to play Billy Costigan
One of the most versatile actors in Hollywood, Leonardo DiCaprio has made a name for himself dishing out nuanced performances as well as playing lead roles in big budget tentpoles. As a result, the man has been a recipient of numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a SAG Award, a BAFTA Award and three Golden Globes. DiCaprio had previously worked with Scorsese on Gangs of New York and The Aviator and therefore knew what to expect when collaborating with the famed director. In order to build a physically imposing frame and convincingly play the street-hardened undercover state trooper Billy Costigan, DiCaprio went on a strict exercise regime and special diet to gain fifteen pounds of muscle. The actor described his character as being in a “constant, 24-hour panic attack”, which was a stark contrast to Matt Damon’s charmingly duplicitous Colin Sullivan. As a performer who had worked with some of the best talents in the industry, DiCaprio called his mano-a-mano with Nicholson, “one of the most memorable moments” of his acting career. At the outset of filming, Tom Cruise was eyed for the role before DiCaprio was eventually cast.
Dignam & Queenan would have been played by completely different actors
Sergeant Sean Dignam and Captain Oliver Queenan are the two law enforcement officers who run the secret undercover operation with DiCaprio’s character against Frank Costello. Despite the fact that they share certain similarities in terms of clamping down corruption and weeding out injustice their individual characters could not be more dissimilar. Dignam is hot-headed and foul mouthed whilst Queenan is level-headed and calm in demeanor. Prior to Mark Wahlberg and Martin Sheen being cast, Scorsese had different actors in mind to play Dignam and Queenan. Ray Liotta was the director’s original choice for the role of Dignam and Robert De Niro was eyed to play Queenan. It would have been interesting to see what the two Scorsese regulars would have brought to the table but I think we can all agree that both Wahlberg and Sheen more than delivered and then some.
Vera Farmiga felt the pressure of being the only female co-star in the production
Starting her career in the stage and Broadway, Vera Farmiga eventually expanded to television and film with her breakout role coming in 2004’s Down to the Bone, for which she won a Los Angeles Film Critics Association award. She established her status as a horror scream queen for her performance in Joshua and Orphan and by reprising the role of paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring franchise. Farmiga was initially nervous about meeting DiCaprio and Scorsese and had this to say about her experience afterwards, “You expect there to be a certain chasm between you and them, and there wasn’t.” Farmiga even met with a real LAPD psychiatrist in preparation for her role, unfortunately after having read the script the psychiatrist said that Farmiga’s character pretty much does everything wrong in the story.
DiCaprio didn’t want to campaign against his co-stars in The Departed
DiCaprio dished out a damn fine performance as Billy Costigan in The Departed. However, the actor did not receive a nomination in the best supporting actor category for his contribution in the film for a number of reasons. One reason was Warner Bros. favored DiCaprio’s lead performance in the Edward Zwick helmed Blood Diamond, which was released that same year, over his work on The Departed. The other reason being that DiCaprio didn’t want to campaign against his male co-stars that worked with him on The Departed. DiCaprio’s plan actually bore fruit because come Oscar night, Mark Wahlberg ended up nabbing a nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category for his effortlessly brilliant performance as Sargeant Sean Dignam.
Andy Lau and Tony Leung were supposed to cameo in the movie
Having played the original roles that became the basis for Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio’s characters, the producers initially wanted to have Andy Lau and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai to make a cameo appearance playing the Triad boss and his translator, who appear in the latter half of the film for the microprocessor transaction. Sadly, this initial plan didn’t fall into place and instead Robert Chan and Lyman Chen were cast to play the above characters in the movie, which was somewhat of a missed opportunity.
Box-office success, critical acclaim, awards glory and a legacy
Made on a production budget of $90 million The Departed went on to make $290.5 million at the worldwide box-office, debuting number one on its opening weekend. According to review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes the film maintains a rock-solid 91%, based on 285 reviews and an average rating of 8.4/10. The site’s critic consensus sums up the effort in the following manner: “Featuring outstanding work from an excellent cast, The Departed is a thoroughly engrossing gangster drama with the gritty authenticity and soupy morality we have come to expect from Martin Scorsese”. The film achieved universal praise from critics who applauded the compelling performances by the leads and supporting cast, the seamless transition of the source material to fit an American narrative as well as Scorsese’s steady and assured direction. Come awards season, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences finally bestowed Scorsese with his long-awaited Best Director Award at the following year’s Academy Awards ceremony after having been nominated a whopping five occasions before. In addition to winning Oscar for Best Director the film also won the award for Best Picture Award, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film Editing. In recognition of his outstanding contribution in directing Scorsese also won the DGA, Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award in the Best Director category, that same year.
Having seen the Infernal Affairs trilogy screenwriter William Monahan envisioned a sequel to The Departed, wanting to go in a different direction than the original by placing a greater emphasis on the political corruption that exists in Boston or following Dignam’s story after the fallout of what transpired during the first outing. Nothing, however, materialized over the years and perhaps that is a blessing in disguise as this gritty, star-studded crime thriller does not require a follow-up or sequel to be appreciated as one of the best films to debut in the mid-2000s.
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Hasitha Fernando is a part-time medical practitioner and full-time cinephile. Follow him on Twitter via @DoctorCinephile for regular updates on the world of entertainment.
