Filming of the 1930's-era crime movie Public Enemies"" outside the Capitol building began Monday, bringing Madison residents a little closer to Hollywood during the day-long shoot.
Directed by UW-Madison alumni Michael Mann, ""Public Enemies"" stars Johnny Depp as infamous bank robber John Dillinger and Christian Bale as FBI Special Agent Melvin Purvis. Filming locations are scheduled for several other Wisconsin cities including Oshkosh, Columbus and Madison.
Universal Studios production assistant Corry Milton said crews filmed inside the Capitol Friday, but the shots were closed-set and not open to the public. Milton said production would move out of Madison after Monday's scenes, adding spectators were ""mostly cooperative"" during the shoot.
Dozens of classic cars lined the streets of Capitol Square to set the scene for the film. Fitchburg resident Ron DeWoskin, owner of a 1934 Brewster, said the experience was a great opportunity to meet other classic car enthusiasts.
""You rarely see one, now there are two,"" DeWoskin said of another Brewster at the shoot. ""It's unbelievable, neither one of us knew that the other one existed.""
Donning a chauffeur's hat, DeWoskin's role in the film was to drive his car to various spots around the square. During his downtime during the shoot, DeWoskin said his vehicle attracted the attention of many onlookers.
""It's such an unusual car that a lot of people stop by and that's been fun,"" he said.
Although Depp was not on the Madison set, Bale did shoot several FBI scenes at the Capitol. UW-Madison senior Brittany Jones said she came to catch glimpse of the ""Batman Begins"" star and is looking forward to seeing Wisconsin on the big screen once production on the film is completed.
""I'm from the Oshkosh area '¦ I know they're filming a lot of it up there too so it will just be cool to see it all in a movie,"" Jones said.
