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This article was published 4 year(s) and 4 month(s) ago
George Clooney is directing a new film "The Tender Bar" which was being filmed at Sisson Elementary and Pickering Middle schools on Monday. (Julia Hopkins) Purchase this photo

It’s all on film: George Clooney in Lynn

Allysha Dunnigan

March 8, 2021 by Allysha Dunnigan

LYNN — George Clooney was spotted filming his new movie “The Tender Bar” Monday at Sisson Elementary and Pickering Middle schools. 

The new film, which is being directed by Clooney and produced by the Big Indie Cold Front Inc., has been seen shooting throughout Boston since early February, but Monday was their first day filming in Lynn. 

“The Tender Bar” is based on the memoir by author J.R. Moehringer and will feature Ben Affleck as Uncle Charlie. The movie tells the story of young J.R., played by Tye Sheridan from “Ready Player One.” J.R. longs for a father figure, since his disappeared at a young age, so he builds relationships with the regulars at his uncle’s bar on Long Island before leaving to attend Yale. 

Actress Lily Rabe, who starred in HBO’s “The Undoing,” is playing J.R.’s mother and Christopher Lloyd, known for his role in the “Back to the Future” film series, will play his grandfather. 

Clooney was seen Monday morning directing a scene in the Sisson and Pickering gym. He was sporting a Nike pullover and sneakers, jeans and a mask, adhering to the COVID-19 safety regulations posted throughout the set. 

The gym was filled with benches and tables as crew members were seen bringing trays carrying scrambled eggs, bacon and cups of orange juice on and off the set.

The scene began with a group of children standing in front of the gym entrance, running away as a woman stormed in behind them. 

In between scenes, Clooney was seen walking around the Sisson gym, directing extras of all ages dressed in clothes depicting the 1980s. 

Vintage mustangs filled Conomo Avenue and the Sisson parking lot, as crew members were seen replacing Massachusetts license plates with those from New York. 

The movie was filmed indoors and outdoors, where a makeshift garage with windows was located near the entrance to the Sisson parking lot.

Lights, cameras and crew members were also set up on the roof looking toward the Wyoma Little League baseball field. 

There was a police detail on the set, but Conomo Avenue remained open to vehicular and pedestrian traffic. 

“The Tender Bar” is believed to be filming throughout Massachusetts until mid-April, already visiting Boston, Watertown, Lowell and Lesley University, which was transformed into the Yale campus. 

Crews were seen shooting what is believed to have been a Yale graduation scene at the Harvard Club last Friday morning, where a long line of extras wearing black robes and graduation caps made their way down Commonwealth Avenue. 

Crew members said that they only planned to film at Sisson and Pickering on Monday, but tents and catering were also set up in the parking lot at St. Pius V School on Bowler Street. 

The set for the movie occupied the areas of Sisson and Pickering that lead to the gym and the parking lot directly in front of the gym entrance. The rest of the schools were open for teachers and there were signs differentiating the areas where crew members could not enter. 

Pickering’s senior custodian Steven Malagrifa saw Clooney, Affleck and Lloyd filming at the school. Malagrifa said that although he lost to Clooney in their brief basketball game in-between filming, the award-winning actor was very, very nice. 

“We talked about our kids and yes, he did beat me in basketball,” Malagrifa said. 

“The Tender Bar” is the third movie filmed in the Boston area in recent months, following the big-budget Netflix movie “Don’t Look Up,” starring Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio and Timothee Chalamet. A new AMC series called “Kevin Can F*** Himself” featuring “Schitt’s Creek” star Annie Murphy was filmed prior to that.

  • Allysha Dunnigan
    Allysha Dunnigan

    Allysha joined the Daily Item in 2021 after graduating with a degree in Media and Communications from Salem State University. She is a Lynn native and a graduate of Lynn Classical High School. Allysha is currently living in Washington D.C. pursuing a Master's Degree in Journalism from Georgetown University.

    View all posts

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