What Mark Wahlberg’s Wife Hated About His Method Acting
Mark Wahlberg has been known to go to some extreme lengths, physically and mentally, to prepare for his roles. However, there was one method of acting preparation he stopped doing because of his wife’s displeasure.
How Mark Wahlberg’s wife changed his approach to acting
Wahlberg shared that he’s had to make a few sacrifices as an actor after marrying model Durham. According to People, The Departed star first met Durham at a press junket in 2001. Afterwards, the pair dated for eight years before Wahlberg wedded her in 2009. Since then, Durham has had a significant influence on Wahlberg’s career. Before their marriage, Wahlberg was able to do films at various locations with little concern. But after starting a family with Durham, Wahlberg was more cautious about shooting too far away from his wife and children.
“Making films is where the biggest sacrifice comes because I have to leave my wife and my kids and go to all these various locations. Ideally if I could work from home then you know I would love to continue to work in some capacity but certainly not at the pace at which I work now,” Wahlberg once told Cigar Ficionado.
Wahlberg’s wife also changed the way that he prepared for film roles. Speaking with Total Film (via Contact Music), the actor shared why he had to change his approach to method acting.
“I love preparation. I do whatever the director wants me to do, but I no longer have the luxury to go some place three weeks early and rent a place and go to places I think my character might go to. My wife would be like, ‘Are you out of your mind?’ But I certainly do what I have to do to prepare, whether it be physically or mentally,” he said.
Why Mark Wahlberg saw himself retiring from acting sooner rather than later
Lately, Wahlberg has been floating around the idea that he might not be sticking around for too long. One of the first times the actor opened up about this possibility was during his promotion of Father Stu. The movie was a drama that saw Wahlberg playing a Catholic priest. Given his own passion towards religion, Wahlberg grew very attached to the role.
“Yeah, it’s been about six years in the making. I don’t remember exactly what it was, but I just said, ‘Start from the beginning.’ And then when I started to hear the story, it’s like everything happens for a reason,” Wahlberg once told the National Catholic Registry.
Wahlberg asserted that doing Father Stu aligned with the goals he had for his career in its later stages. He was looking for more meaningful work to star in, which was a desire Father Stu helped fulfill.
“I feel like this is starting a new chapter for me in that, now, doing things like this — real substance — can help people,” Wahlberg said to Entertainment Tonight. “I definitely want to focus on making more. I wouldn’t say necessarily just faith-based content but things that will help people. So, hopefully this movie will open a door for not only myself but for lots of other people in Hollywood to make more meaningful content.”
This was especially important to the Boogie Nights actor since he saw himself leaving acting behind in the not too distant future.
“Sooner rather than later, probably” Wahlberg said.
Why Mark Wahlberg started producing his movies
Wahlberg has also produced many projects over the years. He first became a producer to try and nab interesting film roles before his contemporaries.
“But the reason why I started producing was because I didn’t want to sit around waiting for Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise or whoever was already established before me and were the guys at the time, and Leo [DiCaprio] to go and pass on a movie until I could get my hands on it,” Wahlberg said. “I was always proactive in trying to find material and things that I could produce, that I knew was right for me, create my own destiny.”
The Basketball Diaries star has produced 43 television and film projects over the years. Some of these include Father Stu, Entourage, and Shooter.
