Mark Wahlberg Retiring From Acting?
Is he just not feeling the vibrations?
This article is more than 2 years old
Mark Wahlberg first found fame as the younger brother of Donnie who was in the successful late 80s boy band New Kids on the Block. At the time, the 13-year-old Mark was one of the group’s original members. But he quit after a few months. After a few modeling gigs, some legal troubles, and some time in his own musical act — Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch — he found his calling as an actor.
But now, Mark Wahlberg may be ready to leave the bright lights of Hollywood behind. The actor made the revelation during a screening of Father Stu in his hometown of Boston. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight he admitted that extended time away from his family has been getting a lot harder to deal with. The action star said any new projects that come his way would need to have real substance (much like his latest offering) for him to consider leaving his family. “It’s gotta be something special to really bring me to leave home, to leave those guys behind. Because it’s the biggest sacrifice,” he said.
The man once known as Marky Mark made his big screen debut in 1994 Danny Devito led comedy Renaissance Man. Two years later he landed a starring role in 1996’s Fear and received critical praise for his performance as Dirk Diggler in 1997’s Boogie Nights. An illustrious career followed as Mark Wahlberg cemented his place as one of Hollywood’s most sought-after leading men. In the early 2000’s he ventured into big-budget action movies, like The Perfect Storm, Planet of the Apes, and The Italian Job. He was also nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role as a police officer in The Departed.
In 2010, the 50-year-old was nominated for Best Actor at the Golden Globe Awards for his portrayal of Micky Ward in the sports biopic The Fighter. Mark Wahlberg went on to grab successful comedy roles in The Other Guys, Ted and its sequel Ted 2, Daddy’s Home, and the follow-up. After becoming the protagonist in two Transformers live-action films franchise, the Uncharted star was ranked as the world’s highest-paid actor in 2017.
The actor also talked about how his new film Father Stu felt like a new beginning in his career. “I feel like this is starting a new chapter for me in that, now, doing things like this [Father Stu] can help people,” he told the publication. “I definitely want to focus on making more. I wouldn’t say necessarily just faith-based content but things that will help people.” Mark Wahlberg also said he hopes this movie will open a door for him and other people in Hollywood to make more meaningful content.
Father Stu is based on the true-life story of boxer Stuart Long who, after suffering from inclusion body myositis, becomes a Catholic priest. Written and directed by Rosalind Ross, the film stars Mark Wahlberg in the title role alongside Jacki Weaver as Kathleen Long, and Mel Gibson as Bill Long. The movie also features performances by Teresa Ruiz as Carmen, Niko Nicotera, Chiquita Fuller, and Cody Fern. The film is scheduled for release on April 13th.
Although he’s thinking about retiring sooner rather than later, Mark Wahlberg has a few other movies in the works. He is set to appear as Anthony Willam Farret in Me Time. The actor will also star alongside Simu Liu in the upcoming adventure film, Arthur the King. Directed by Simon Cellan Jones, the film is based on the 2017 nonfiction book, Arthur: The Dog Who Crossed The Jungle To Find A Home by Mikael Lindnord.
