By April Drew

MARTIN Scorsese’s highly anticipated film about the Irish Mafia, The Departed, opens this Friday nationwide, with an all-star cast including Leonardo di Caprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg.

But would an Irish American movie really be without the talents of local Irish actors? Scorsese made it a point to cast his net far and wide last year for unknown Irish, and he struck gold with three of them who talked with the Irish Voice about the experience of making a film with one of the world’s most celebrated directors.

Kevin McCarthy, a retired NYPD detective, was elated to have been chosen to act side by side with di Caprio’s police officer character, Billy Costigan, as one of four undercover detectives on his team.

“One of Martin Scorsese’s guys, Joe Reidy, called me up and asked me if I would be interested in the part. I was over the moon,” said McCarthy.

He appears in 15 isolated scenes in the movie, and spent three months in total working on The Departed. While the story is set in South Boston, the majority of the movie was shot in New York City due to the state’s 15% tax credits.

Although McCarthy isn’t given a character’s name in the movie, he is awarded the title of “SIU Detective # One” in the credits. Playing the role of a detective came instinctively to McCarthy.

“It is much easier to play a role that I am familiar with,” he said.

Scorsese asked McCarthy if he had any formal acting instruction. “I told him I had 21 years of acting in the NYPD,” McCarthy joked.

When the shooting began it only took McCarthy a moment to appreciate what a gigantic movie he was involved in.

“It was all so surreal. There I was sandwiched between Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg and in comes Scorsese to have a chat with us. I just couldn’t believe I was there,” he recalls.

McCarthy found working with Damon a joy, and the two had much interaction throughout filming.

“We chatted a lot about generic stuff like the Mets and Yankees but he was especially interested in my career as a detective and he would ask me very specific questions related to my job. It was a delight to be able to fill him in.” says McCarthy.

McCarthy also had the pleasure of working with new Galway University student Martin Sheen, who plays Captain Queenan.

“Me and Martin had a lot in common, we used to chat all the time about our Irish heritage and him going to study in Galway. I have stayed in contact with him. He is a great guy, very down to earth,” says McCarthy.

McCarthy was overwhelmed with the professionalism and superiority of Scorsese’s work.

“You realize after working with him why he is one of the best directors there is. He fully takes charge and never hesitates. He knows what he wants and how to get it. He is definitely the best director I have seen in action,” McCarthy feels.

McCarthy has now retired from the NYPD and has become a full time actor.

He frequently comes across directors who will ask for his professional advice on certain scenes where cops are involved.

Prior to his role in The Departed, McCarthy worked on a couple of episodes of Third Watch and Law and Order. He can be seen in the upcoming move about the Beatles called Across the Universe which has a November release date and also he will appear in Pride and Glory, a movie about an Irish American family of cops that stars Colin Farrell.

A carpenter from Co. Galway currently living in Woodlawn, Kevin O’Malley was also privileged to have been chosen for a part in The Departed.

O’Malley, like hundreds of other aspiring actors, queued outside Rory Dolan’s in Yonkers last year in the hope of securing a role to star beside his favorite actors. Few got chosen, and O’Malley was one of the fortunate ones.

O’Malley plays the part of a trainee cop. One of his classmates is Costigan (di Caprio). O’Malley had the opportunity to appear in five scenes wearing five different uniforms.

“I didn’t get to keep the uniforms but they did allow us to keep the New Balance sneakers,” he says.

These sneakers came in useful in a particular scene when O’Malley, along with other extras and di Caprio, was shooting a running scene at Maritime College in downtown New York,

O’Malley thought working with di Caprio was an incredible experience. “He’s just a great guy,” O’Malley says.

The Irishman’s most memorable scene was in a classroom when the trainee cops were purportedly taking an examination to make the grade.

“I turned to di Caprio before the cameras were rolling and told him that he wasn’t allowed copy my answers and he replied, ‘Life is all about cheating!’” laughs O’Malley.

For Scorsese to do an accurate job he frequently brought in experts in specific fields. One such expert on the set of The Departed was an authentic cop who worked on bringing down gangs involved in organized crime in South Boston. This expert soon befriended O’Malley when he saw that they were both wearing the Irish Claddagh ring.

“He was a great guy. We had a lot in common with our Claddagh rings. We had a good chat,” remembers O’Malley

Like McCarthy, O’Malley also got called as an extra for Across the Universe, but due to work commitments at the time O’Malley had to refuse the role.

O’Malley is hoping that he will get more opportunities in the future to star in movies.

“I loved every minute of it. It was a great experience but its back to the 608 Carpenters Union for me until my next big break,” laughs O’Malley

Another Woodlawn resident formerly of Co. Monaghan, musician Peter McGeogh, also got to play a part in the movie.

“It was by total luck that I got chosen,” says McGeogh. “I happened to be in Rory Dolan’s at the bar that evening chatting to a few lads when they opened the doors to the function hall and I got swept into the crowd.”

McGeogh for the sake of it filled out the submissions form, and when it asked him what his skin type was he wrote down “in great condition.” When the casting representative saw his form and his age, 70, he pulled him out of the mass and told him that he would hear from them soon.

Two days later McGeogh got a call telling him he was going to star in The Departed.

“It was an absolutely fantastic experience being in the movie. I got to met that lad Leonardo di Caprio and Jack Nicholson. He was very humorous. It was a joy to just be there,” says McGeogh.

Look for McGeogh in a bar scene with Nicholson. He spent three days shooting the scene.

“I was propped up against the bar, pretending to be having a beer. When the lad came up to me with a prop that was supposed to be Guinness I told him that it didn’t feel right. I asked him for a martini glass with a black Russian straight up, so away the lad went and back he arrived with an ice tea in a martini glass,” remembers McGeogh.

For this scene McGeogh was required to dress casually. The casting crew wanted to fit him out in stage clothes but his own attire fit better so they allowed him to keep his clothes on.

He was also elated that they permitted him to keep his Claddagh belt buckle on. He also got to wear his own cowboy boots.

McGeogh had a “great time” and hopes in the future to star in further Irish movies.