In the past few years, Boston has grown into a major filming location for big movies. The coolest part about that is all the stars you can see doing stuff regular people do, albeit with a little more fanfare. In the past year alone, we’ve seen Kate Hudson on Newbury Street, Leonardo DiCaprio downtown and Natalie Portman in Harvard Square.

Hollywood in the Hub is so 'Happening'

 In the past few years, Boston has grown into a major filming location for big movies. The coolest part about that is all the stars you can see doing stuff regular people do, albeit with a little more fanfare. In the past year alone, we’ve seen Kate Hudson on Newbury Street, Leonardo DiCaprio downtown and Natalie Portman in Harvard Square.

In early June, Mark Wahlberg was back in his hometown and walking the red carpet outside the AMC Loews Boston Common theater. The occasion was a special screening of M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Happening,” It might not be Wahlberg or director M. Night Shyamalan’s finest moment, but the plot is timely: Nature decides its had enough of the human plague sucking the earth dry. If we can’t cull our species, it will.  

We grabbed a few minutes with the smartly suit-clad Wahlberg, just before the Dorchester-raised 37-year-old made his way into the cinema for a private screening,  which was packed with friends and family and benefited the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation.

You managed to survive the annihilation of the human race in “The Happening.”
Yes, I did. That’s  because I have faith in God and humanity. And unending optimism.

You were also the last man standing in “The Departed.” We sense a pattern.
Yes, now that you pointed that out. There is a pattern.

What about the rumors of a “Departed” sequel?
I don’t know. I was with Marty (Scorsese) today. We were discussing the new television show that we’re doing together. I know they’re developing the script for another “Departed” movie. If they can make it better than the first, then I’m interested.  Other than that, we’ll do something else.

But you were the only main character remaining. Everyone significant [apart from Alec Baldwin’s character] was killed off.
They introduce characters and they’d do a prequel and bring everybody back.

When you’re back in Boston what places in the area do you absolutely have to visit?
There’s a couple places: First, mom’s house. Then Venice Pizza (39 Savin Hill Ave. Dorchester, 617.436.9695); The Colonial (39 Main St., Plymouth, 508.746.0838). There’s so many places, actually.