Movie Magic Made at Assumption
Over the span of two days in October, the cast and crew of major-motion picture codenamed “Cheesesteak” turned Salisbury Street into Sunset Boulevard, and hundreds of Greyhounds were able to take part in real-life movie magic. Hollywood star—and Massachusetts native—Mark Wahlberg was on site for the filming alongside co-star Indie DesRoches.
The first day of filming took place in Laska Gymnasium, with students, faculty, staff, family, and friends filling the stands to watch a staged basketball game against the Franklin Pierce Ravens. The Greyhounds took home the win on-screen and got to learn about what happens behind the scenes, as actual members of both the Assumption and Franklin Pierce basketball teams played a choreographed game for the excited audience.
“We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be part of this major production. Our team truly appreciates the directors, producers, and cast for welcoming us into the process,” said Head Men’s Basketball Coach Scott Faucher. “It was exciting to get an inside look at how a movie is made, and our guys had a great time while learning a lot throughout the experience. We’re also proud of how our campus community came together to bring energy to Laska Gym and help create a fun, authentic ‘game’ atmosphere.”
Many other members of the community, including Assumption’s cheer and dance teams, athletics staff, and coaches, had their fifteen minutes of fame as extras in the film as well.
Students from Media Supervisor Tom Burke’s video production course were also welcomed by the crew to take a closer look at the making of the film, getting up-close access to equipment – Julia Forest ’26 was even able to operate one of the cameras for a scene shot at the front of campus.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Forest told Le Provocateur. “It was so exciting to be part of movie magic and operate the camera.”
The second day of filming was no less exciting on campus, as the community was able to see the stars of the film shooting scenes out on the Tsotsis Piazza – turning an everyday space into a real movie set.
“It was a slow process, watching the film be made, but it was cool to see how the vision comes together,” Arianna Langford ’27, another student from Burke’s class who was able to go behind-the-scenes with the crew, told Le Provocateur.
More information about the movie, and when audiences can expect to see Assumption on the big screen, is coming soon.
“It was truly an amazing few days,” said Laurie Palumbo, media specialist, who was also behind-the-scenes with Burke, his students, and the crew.