Mark Wahlberg's new movie is causing a Boston Marathon controversy

Published Apr. 18, 2016 10:33 a.m. ET

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Mark Wahlberg was one of the first to the Boston Marathon finish line Monday morning, but he was not there for the race. Instead, Wahlberg was filming scenes at the Marathon's finish line for his upcoming movie, "Patriots Day," which recounts the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings.

Wahlberg plays a Boston cop named Sgt. Tommy Saunders, a fictional composite character who will represent the actions of several policemen who were working on Marathon Monday back in 2013.

Although Wahlberg usually enjoys a favorable reception in Boston as a hometown guy -- Wahlberg grew up in Dorchester, Mass. -- many Bostonians are not pleased with Wahlberg's decision to film a movie about the bombings just three years after the attacks.

Bill Richard, whose 8-year-old son Martin was killed in the bombings, said his family spoke with Wahlberg before the movie went into production. The Richards asked not to be depicted in the movie.

Other Bostonians shared their feelings about the movie on Twitter. For some, it is simply too soon.

Others said the filming was a distraction for Boston police and marathon workers on one of the city's busiest days of the year.

But some survivors and first responders embraced Wahlberg's presence. The movie star met with Carlos Arredondo, a good samaritan who helped save lives in the immediate aftermath of the bombings. Wahlberg also spoke with Boston Police Commissioner Bill Evans on Monday morning. 

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