Peter Sarsgaard Joins Black Mass Cast as a 'Favor'

Actor Peter Sarsgaard (Green Lantern, The Killing) reportedly shot a role in the new Johnny Depp true crime film Black Mass as a "favor."Based on the true crime book Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob, the Scott Cooper-directed movie recounts the case of Boston crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger (Depp), who became an informant for the FBI and is currently jailed for life on murder and racketeering charges.

Peter Sarsgaard as "Hector Hammond" in Green Lantern.

The Boston Globe claims Sarsgaard plays Boston hoodlum and Bulger murder victim Brian Halloran in the film. Photos of the filming of Halloran's death scene, showing a gun-toting Depp gunning down Sarsgaard, recently made the rounds online. Seeing as how Sarsgaard's wife Maggie Gyllenhaal starred in Scott Cooper's earlier film Crazy Heart, it would seem likely that's who he did the favor for.

Finally, we recently had the chance to interview actor Guy Pearce for The Rover, during which time we asked him why he parted ways with Black Mass. He was reportedly to have played Whitey's politician brother Billy Bulger, a role now being played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Despite his name still being listed on the official site of the movie's production company, Pearce says he was never really officially involved to begin with.

"Well, I never got into it, and I never departed it," Pearce told us. "We had talked about it, but it sort of got written up that I was doing it, and it had to be written up that I wasn't doing it. So it wasn't quite the peak and valley that it seems. It's an interesting project, though. I think it will be fascinating."

Black Mass is currently filming in the Boston area.

Peter Sarsgaard Joins Black Mass Cast as a 'Favor'

And Guy Pearce said he was never in the film to begin with.

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