By Patrick Ronan
The Patriot Ledger
July 12, 2012
MARSHFIELD-Wearing a blue T-shirt, khaki shorts and sunglasses, one of America’s most recognizable actors walked along Bay Avenue rather inconspicuously.
With a backpack slung over his right shoulder and a Diet Snapple in his left hand, Steve Carell was finally spotted and approached by a group of teenagers Wednesday afternoon. Carell, who had a five o’clock shadow not typically worn by his on-screen characters, posed for a few photos and moved along.
“Have a good day, guys,” Carell said with a wave to the teenagers, a group of friends from Norwell.
“I just saw Steve Carell. It was so cool,” said Parker Kent, 14.
Carell and Sam Rockwell were among the stars spotted Wednesday in the Green Harbor neighborhood, as local filming started for the independent movie “The Way, Way Back.” The star-studded cast includes Carell, a summertime Marshfield resident and owner of the Marshfield Hills General Store, Rockwell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Maya Rudolph and Weymouth native Rob Corddry.
After filming for two weeks in East Wareham, the production moved to Marshfield this week and will remain here until July 27. Most of the filming will take place in and around a Green Harbor home at 172 Bay Ave.
The crew shot one scene Wednesday on the Powder Point Bridge in Duxbury. Kathleen Trestka, an artist who moved from Easthampton to Duxbury just last week, was surprised to see the line of production trucks, so she followed the action to Green Harbor to watch the crew work.
“It’s such an incredible art form, everything that is involved,” Trestka said. “There are so many different talents coming together. How could I resist? I was headed to the beach, but instead I came here.”
Another excited onlooker was Maria Tedeschi, 22, a Marshfield native who recently graduated with a film degree from Northwestern University.
“It’s interesting to see the people who are coming to the beach who have no idea; they don’t realize there are some well-known faces in the area, let alone that they’re making a movie right now,” Tedeschi said.
Scott Levine, publicist for “The Way, Way Back,” said about 125 people – including extras – are working on the film. Some driving scenes will be filmed in Pembroke, Levine said.
Patrick Ronan may be reached at pronan@ledger.com