Johnny Depp attends 'Black Mass' screening in Brookline

BROOKLINE, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com/AP) - Johnny Depp and other stars attended a screening for the new movie Black Mass based on notorious Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger in Brookline Tuesday.

The private screening was held at the Coolidge Corner Theater and both Depp, who plays Bulger, and co-star Dakota Johnson were there.

When asked what he did to prepare for the role, Depp said, "The first thing for me is to understand, first and foremost, that he’s a human being, you know. Anybody and everybody, especially the families of the victims, say he’s just an evil person. I just don’t believe that exists.”

He went on to say, "There’s a side to James Bulger that is, you know, not just that man who is in that business, and you know what I mean by that business that he was in, and what was the language of that business, it was violence.”

Johnson plays a former girlfriend of the mob boss Lindsey Cyr. When asked what her impression of Bulger was, the actress said, "I kind of am trying to figure that out, I don't quite know. I feel he was an intelligent, diabolical guy."

The movie is based on the book of the same name by former Boston Globe reporters Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill.

Lehr was at the screening and said the movie is "intense and authentic but going into it, you're kinda, yeah I mean, concerned."

Scott Cooper, director and producer, said he worked hard not to "glamorize" the story.

"That was the most important thing that I or any of the cast had to consider because so many people were affected by these men and their exploits and certainly the City of Boston themselves. That emotional wound that is yet to heal and I took great pains not to romanticize or glamorize any of this," he said.

>>RELATED: FOX25 gets a sneak peek of 'Black Mass'
>>WATCH: See the 'Black Mass' trailer

Bulger is now serving life in federal prison after being convicted in 2013 of playing a role in 11 killings and multiple other crimes.

"Black Mass" made its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and was also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The movie is scheduled for general release on Friday.

Cox Media Group