More than a year and a half after filming the paranormal-thriller-comedy “R.I.P.D.†in Boston, Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges were back in the city to screen the movie for Boston and Watertown police, firefighters, MIT officers, and many of the other first responders who helped after the Boston Marathon bombings. Reynolds and Bridges play deceased cops in the film (“R.I.P.D.†stands for “Rest in Peace Departmentâ€), which features scenes shot all over the city, from the Financial District to Fenway Park. During a quick interview before the Sunday evening screening at Regal Fenway, we asked the duo to talk about the most challenging scene they filmed during the action-heavy shoot. Their response? “When I was riding you,†Bridges said to Reynolds, who quickly explained, “Jeff at one point rides me down the side of a building.†Reynolds added, “Yeah. He had to buy me a couple of drinks before we shot that scene.†Reynolds also talked about his brief cameo in last year’s Boston comedy “Ted.†He explained that he happened to be in town looking for apartments before his “R.I.P.D.†gig when “Ted†director Seth MacFarlane asked him to play Patrick Warburton’s boyfriend in the Mark Wahlberg comedy. “Who wouldn’t want to make out with Patrick Warburton?,†Reynolds joked.
Bridges, meanwhile, gave us a little dish about his film adaptation of Cambridge author Lois Lowry’s classic Newbery Medal-winner, “The Giver.†Bridges, who will play the title role, said the script for the dystopian tale is still bring written, and promises that Lowry will be involved in the project. “I’m really interested in her input,†he promised.
Among the law enforcement officials in Sunday’s crowd was Boston Police Superintendent Daniel Linskey, who called the movie night “a chance to relax, especially after everything everyone’s been through in the past few months.†“R.I.P.D.,†which also stars Kevin Bacon and Boston’s own Mike O’Malley, has its official release on July 19.
-- Boston.com staff Rachel Zarrell contributed
