Blanketed by thick haze from Canadian wildfires, Morristown was an ideal stand-in for foggy London on Wednesday, as cameras filmed Mark Wahlberg in scenes for the Netflix movie The Union.
Wahlberg co-stars with Oscar winners Halle Berry (Monster’s Ball) and J.K. Simmons (Whiplash).
He plays a “down-to-earth construction worker from Jersey,” who “is quickly thrust into the world of super spies and secret agents when his high school ex-girlfriend Roxanne (Berry) recruits him on a high-stakes US intelligence mission,” according to IMDB.com.
During the morning, the 52-year-old star (The Perfect Storm, The Departed) sat on a bench on the historic Morristown Green–meant to replicate a park in London–for a scene in which he video-chats with his mother back in New Jersey.
Later, Wahlberg ventured across South Street to Roots Steakhouse for dialogue sequences at the bar.
A throng of fans gathered near the entrance hoping for a glimpse. Police guarded the door.
In its film permit application to the town, Secaucus-based Undertone Productions LLC indicated it might create artificial haze inside the restaurant. That effect could have been achieved simply by opening the door.
Morristown’s sky was a brown smear and the town smelled like a campfire. Air quality was listed as “hazardous” by AirNow.gov, a partnership of federal environmental agencies.
The Morristown & Township Library announced it was postponing an evening “Attentive Walking” program, and canceling Thursday morning yoga on the lawn because of the smoke. The Morristown Uke Jam postponed its monthly jam session on the Green as well.
Urging Garden State residents to avoid strenuous activities and stay indoors as much as possible, Gov. Phil Murphy said the situation underscores the need to address human-induced climate change.
“Make no mistake, from the wildfires in Canada to those cropping up with increasing frequency and severity in our own backyard, these extreme weather events are tangible – and devastating – evidence of the intensifying climate crisis,” Murphy said in a statement.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection issued a code orange alert for Thursday, June 8, 2023. That means air quality “may become unhealthy for sensitive groups” such as children, people suffering from asthma, heart disease or other lung diseases, and the elderly, per the National Weather Service.
An N95 mask can provide some protection from harmful particulates, said Dr. Chirag V. Shah, director of pulmonary and critical care medicine at
Morristown Medical Center. His additional safety recommendations are here.
OUR MAN FROM JERSEY?
The film, in which Wahlberg’s character has been described as a “blue-collar James Bond,” has shot scenes in London, Croatia and Slovenia, according to various reports.
Earlier this week, shooting was scheduled for the Morristown Armory in Morris Township.
Some accounts list the movie title as Our Man From Jersey. It’s called The Union on the Morristown permit.
The script is by Joe Barton (The Lazarus Project) and David Guggenheim (Safehouse, Designated Survivor), and the director is Julian Farino, a Cambridge grad best known for his TV work. Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson (Ballers) are co-producers.
The cast includes Jackie Earle Haley (The First Lady), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Suicide Squad), Jessica De Gouw and Alice Lee.
One of Wednesday’s onlookers, Jared Briggs, was hoping for a plug from Wahlberg. Briggs manages F45 Training in Morristown, a few doors down from Roots.
Wahlberg is chief brand officer for the fitness chain.