20 facts you might not know about 'The Departed'

Scorsese is an acclaimed director, but he’s not an auteur. He often does not write on his films, and this one isn’t even an original idea. The Departed is based on a 2002 Hong Kong film called Infernal Affairs that starred, among others, Tony Leung.

Brad Pitt is a movie star. We don’t need to tell you that. However, he also has a history of producing films he barely appears in or isn’t in at all. The Departed is one of those movies. He, along with Warner Bros. and producer Brad Grey, bought the rights to Infernal Affairs in 2003.

After Pitt and the crew bought the rights, they needed somebody to write a new script based on the source material. That writer turned out to be William Monahan. At the time, he had one novel to his name, but his first produced screenplay, Kingdom of Heaven, would not be out until 2005. Regardless, he got the gig and his script that got Scorsese to sign on.

These days, we are used to a Martin Scorsese movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio, but this was still early in their working relationship. Nevertheless, the two were happy to work together again after Gangs of New York. Initially, Pitt was going to play the role of Colin Sullivan opposite DiCaprio’s Billy Costigan, but Pitt decided he was too old for the role and stuck to producing. Since the movie was already set in Boston, Scorsese’s friend, director Kenneth Lonergan, recommended Damon. You may have heard this, but Damon is from Boston.

Scorsese got Nicholson on board, but Jack had the sway to help shape his character. Once Nicholson was on board, it led to Monahan tweaking his character a bit. Initially, the character of Frank Costello had been written as “post-sexual,” but that wouldn't fly with Nicholson in the role. Monahan said that Nicholson changed some of the dialogue, but he didn’t mind.

The movie is set in Boston, which may have gone against Scorsese’s New York roots, but it also helped shape the film. Boston’s Winter Hill Gang is an inspiration for much of the movie. Specifically, Costello is based on infamous gangster Whitey Bulger, who spent much of his life in Boston.

Mark Wahlberg has a strong turn as Sean Dignam in The Departed. As a Boston boy, he’s a perfect fit. However, he’s not the only member of the family to make the cut. Mark’s brother, Robert, plays FBI Special Agent Frank Lazio.

Scorsese’s movie got a lot of credit for depicting a Boston that felt like Boston. To many, the characters felt like true Bostonians. Don’t just take our word for it. The Boston Globe said the same thing. The movie had an advantage on that front. Monahan had grown up in Boston himself.

Did the actor who plays Billy Costigan’s ne’er-do-well brother Sean look familiar? Well, that’s character actor Kevin Corrigan, and you may have seen him in a few things. Scorsese fans might have a specific memory of him. In addition to playing Billy’s brother, he plays Henry Hill’s brother in Goodfellas. This time, he didn’t have to stir the sauce so it didn’t stick.

Howard Hawks’ Scarface from 1932 is considered one of the first classic crime movies. Yes, it is the basis for Brian De Palma’s '80s Scarface, though that one is much different. Hawks’ film also inspired Scorsese here. You will see an “X” somewhere on the screen whenever somebody is about to die, which happens in Scarface. The view out the window with the (infamous) rat is also an homage to Scarface.

Scorsese doesn’t always make movies for a mass audience. Do we need to remind you about Silence? Probably, because odds are you didn’t see it. The Departed was not one of those films. It debuted at No. 1 at the U.S. box office, the third of his films to do so. Ultimately, it would make $291.5 million on a $90 million budget.

The Departed didn’t rack up those technical Academy Award nominations that many movies do to rack up nods, so it “only” got five Oscar nominations. However, they were in pretty strong categories. The film was up for Best Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Supporting Actor for Mark Wahlberg.

Raging Bull didn’t do it. Goodfellas didn’t do it. Even textbook Oscar bait The Aviator didn’t do it. Then, The Departed did it. Scorsese got his first (and so far only) wins for both Best Director. The movie took home four of the five Academy Awards it was up for. Only Wahlberg lost out.

Did they do a Simpsons episode based on The Departed just because they had the title The Departed? Perhaps, but they did it anyway. Topher Grace voices a kid in the Billy Costigan role who infiltrates Bart’s inner circle to help Skinner bring him down.

Before casting Nicholson, which worked out, Scorsese had wanted Al Pacino to play Costello since they had never worked together. However, Pacino turned the role down, opening the door for Nicholson. Several years later, Scorsese finally achieved his goal, casting Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa in The Irishman.

Some Oscar history is noteworthy; other history is just kind of interesting. This bit of history is more of the latter. When The Departed won Best Picture, it became the first remake of a foreign film to do so.

Vera Farmiga plays Dr. Madolyn Madden, a psychiatrist who sees both Costigan and Sullivan, both personally and professionally. Farmiga talked to a psychiatrist who worked for the LAPD to prepare for the role. After the psychiatrist read the script, her first note was that Dr. Madden had done almost everything wrong.

Nicholson is famously a huge Lakers fan, and he has strong opinions about sports. For example, during the filming of The Departed, he refused to wear a Red Sox hat, even though the movie was set in Boston and he played a guy from Boston. Instead, he wore a New York Yankees hat at his behest. Of course, as Mark Wahlberg said when asked about it, Jack can do what he wants.

The view from Colin’s apartment where he can see the Massachusetts State House was not taken through that actual window. In fact, there is no apartment with that view in Boston. That shot was taken from the roof of Suffolk University and then special effects did the rest.

Pretty much all the key figures in The Departed are dead at the end. And yet, there were still plans for a sequel. There was even a script written for it. However, producers were worried about the price, and Scorsese did not want to return to direct it, so they decided to scrap the project.