Question 1

True or false: Martin Scorsese won his first Best Director Oscar for 'The Departed.'

Accepted Answer

True. Despite decades of masterpieces, Scorsese never won Best Director until 2007 for 'The Departed.' His previous five nominations had all resulted in losses.

Question 2

True or false: Mark Wahlberg's character was based on a real Boston detective who worked undercover.

Accepted Answer

False. Dignam is a fictional composite. Wahlberg based his performance on tough Boston cops he knew, but no single real-life detective served as the direct inspiration.

Question 3

True or false: The original Hong Kong film 'Infernal Affairs' has a completely different ending where both moles survive.

Accepted Answer

True. In 'Infernal Affairs,' the police mole survives and the triad mole is killed. Scorsese's version flips the script, killing nearly everyone for a more tragic American conclusion.

Question 4

True or false: The movie is set in Boston, but most interior scenes were actually filmed in New York.

Accepted Answer

True. To cut costs and use soundstages, Scorsese shot many interiors—like the police station and Costello's apartment—in New York, with Boston exteriors for atmosphere.

Question 5

True or false: Leonardo DiCaprio's character was originally written as a much older man in his 40s.

Accepted Answer

True. Scorsese initially envisioned the role of Billy Costigan for an older actor, but rewrote it for DiCaprio after he joined the project, making the character younger.

Question 6

True or false: Vera Farmiga's character was written as a man in early drafts of the screenplay.

Accepted Answer

False. The psychiatrist role was always female. The misconception may stem from the original film having no such love interest—Scorsese created Madolyn specifically for the remake.

Question 7

True or false: The rat at the end of the movie was added by a visual effects team months after filming wrapped.

Accepted Answer

False. The rat was actually a trained animal and practical effect on set. Scorsese wanted a real rat for authenticity, and it was filmed live during the final scene.

Question 8

True or false: Jack Nicholson improvised the line 'This is the way the world ends' in the bar scene.

Accepted Answer

False. Nicholson's line is actually a direct quote from T.S. Eliot's poem 'The Hollow Men.' It was scripted, not improvised, though Nicholson added his own delivery.

The Departed Trivia Questions