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Mark Wahlberg: Is "Invincible"
Tim Nasson sits with the Boston native!
August 23, 2006

Mark Wahlberg

Los Angeles – It was thirty-five years ago, June 5th, 1971, to be exact, that Mark Wahlberg was born in the poor, working class section of Boston known as Dorchester. Wahlberg was the last of nine kids, (six boys, and three girls), his mother would give birth to – he, and his brothers Robert and Donnie are the result of his mother’s third marriage.

Life, at least the first half of it, was no picnic for Mark Wahlberg. The scrawny Irish ‘bad boy’ was just that. Bad, literally.

He was so mentally tortured and untamed that at the age of fourteen he dropped out of school and became what so many other children raised in tough, lower class environments become – criminal.

Mark Wahlberg, before he was even an adult – age eighteen – was arrested myriad times for everything from assault and violent hate crimes to drug dealing and stealing.

Mark Wahlberg

One judge finally had had enough of Wahlberg’s antics and sentenced the trouble making tough boy to 50 days at Deer Island Penitentiary. Wahlberg was only 16.

“Some kids would say ‘fuck this,’” says Wahlberg, “These are the cards I was dealt. This is what my life will amount to. What can I do about it?”

I have had the chance to sit with Wahlberg a number of times during the past couple of years, the most recent, while he was shooting “The Departed” in Boston and in Los Angeles recently where he spoke about his upcoming Disney film, “Invincible.”

“Not to sound like a saint, because I am still far from one,” reveals Wahlberg, leaning back in his chair, wearing blue jeans, a Red Sox baseball cap and a futuristic Nike wrist watch, “But those two months in jail were where I had an epiphany. I knew that I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life locked up. I might have been acting like an animal but I didn’t want to be a caged one. I started lifting weights in jail and went from 130lbs of scrawniness to 170lbs of muscle that year.”

Invincible Movie Poster

Taking pages from his own book, Wahlberg steps into the shoes of Vince Papale in the Disney film “Invincible,” which is based on a true story.

“This guy,” says Wahlberg, of the character Vince he portrays in “Invincible,” in theaters Friday (August 25th), “had never even played college football, let alone pro football. He had played in beer leagues for a number of years. Football was his passion. But becoming a professional football player was not even a blip on his radar screen.

“It was the early 70s,” continues Wahlberg. “And the Philadelphia Eagles had had eleven really bad seasons in a row. The new coach had progressive ideas, to say the least. He made an announcement on the news, telling anyone who thought they could cut it that he was holding tryouts that weekend at the stadium. So Vince Papale, the guy I play in the movie, shows up, never having stepped onto a professional football field before and gets picked to play after showing the team and coach what he was capable of. It really goes to show that you can never give up on your dreams.”

Mark Wahlberg

Wahlberg’s claim to fame is somewhat similar. People began to take notice of five foot, eight inch Wahlberg, after his juvenile criminal antics, in a good way. His brother Donnie, who was riding the success of his group New Kids on the Block offered his little bro a chance to join them.

“That wasn’t for me,” says Mark. “It was too squeaky clean. Yeah, I wanted to cut the criminal shit out but I didn’t want to be bouncing around on stage with five or six pretty boys, either.”

Mark Wahlberg

Another opportunity soon arose and Wahlberg jumped on it. Donnie, knowing Mark didn’t want to join NKOTB, set up a meeting between Mark and some record producers he was friendly with, having full confidence that his little brother had the same ability as he to bounce around on stage and captivate audiences. The meeting went smoothly and Wahlberg was signed to record a rap album and christened himself “Marky Mark,” and hired a posse of dancers and back up singers, mostly black, which he named “The Funky Bunch.”

Gay billionaire David Geffen took an instant liking to Wahlberg, (in a non-sexual way), and talked his friend Calvin Klein into signing Wahlberg, who at the time was in his early twenties, to an exclusive underwear modeling contract and from that moment on, Marky Mark, or Mark Wahlberg, whatever you like, was seen on billboards across the world – arm and legs muscles bulging and another one, too, the one that was under the only piece of clothing he wore on the billboards, and magazine and newspaper ads.

Mark Wahlberg as Marky Mark

I remind Wahlberg that I remembered seeing him backstage – at the Kiss-108FM concerts, which were wildly popular in Boston during the early 90s – when he was “Marky Mark,” surrounded by 350lbs, six foot, six inch, black ‘body guards,’ with a lollipop in his mouth, and baseball cap on backwards, shorts falling off his ass. Wahlberg turns beet red, and almost falls off his chair which he is leaning back on when I bring him down memory lane. “That was so long ago. I was so much different. I was even known to drop my pants on stage.” One of those years, 1992, was also the year that Wahlberg was named one of People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful.

Mark Wahlberg may have dropped his pants on stage but went on to dropping his underwear in one of the best movies he has starred in, to date, ‘Boogie Nights,” which was based on the 70s porn star Dirk Diggler. “I certainly wouldn’t have mind showing my own cock in the movie,” laughs Wahlberg, “but I think the producers and director had the authentic Dirk Diggler dick in mind when they wrote the scene. So I had on a strap-on, well, actually, a glue-on when it came to the money shot scene.”


Mark Wahlberg

Wahlberg is one of the few male kid singers cum actors who have succeeded in the movie business.

“The music business was getting me into trouble because of my big mouth,” admits Wahlberg, who was accused of being homophobic and racist by some journalists around the world. “But I liked my lifestyle, I guess, so decided to try a change of career and took up Penny Marshall of her offer on ‘Renaissance Man,’ [back in 1994 and Wahlberg’s first movie], and wouldn’t think about anything other than acting, now. I love it.”

Mark Wahlberg Invincible Movie

And it shows on and off screen.

Wahlberg seems to have settled down – he has settled into a $5 million Beverly Hills mansion with his mother, longtime partner (Rhea Durham), and their two kids. A nearly four year old daughter and newborn son.

Whether Wahlberg returns to music or not remains to be seen. “I don’t think so,” says Wahlberg in all seriousness.

Wahlberg finished shooting Martin Scorsese’s latest, “The Departed,” with Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson. “It’s been in the can for over a year,” says Wahlberg. “A lot of people have been waiting very patiently for this. But it’s Martin Scorsese. So don’t get too worried about the delay.”

Departed Movie Poster

In addition to his acting responsibilities, which include the upcoming sequel to “The Italian Job,” the aptly titled “The Brazilian Job,” since it will be set and shot in Brazil, Wahlberg also produces the popular HBO series “Entourage,” which is loosely, and he emphasizes the word loose, on his life. “I couldn’t really do too much of my own stuff and experiences with ‘Entourage’ because I would really get into trouble if I put that on screen. I would have to kill a lot of people first,” says Wahlberg.

Go Behind The Scenes of "Invincible."


Mark Wahlberg

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In The Spotlight

The Uninvited

Movie Poster And Movie Trailer Premieres
October 6, 2008

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Wild About Movies now provides you with more movie posters, movie trailers, movie synopses, Behind The Scenes of movies, and celebrity interviews with stars of upcoming movies than any other web site in the world. Today you are able to peruse the movie trailers, movie posters and movie synopses of more than 500 movies not yet in theaters (and more than 150000 movies in theaters and on DVD). Kevin James as "Mall Cop." "The Burning Plain," starring Charlize Theron. The first "Wonder Woman" movie of the millennium. "Charlie Banks" and "Pippa Lee." Clive Owen in "The International." Angelina Jolie in Clint Eastwood's "Changeling." "Lovely Still" - featuring Martin Landau & Ellen Burstyn. Isla Fisher in "Confessions Of A Shopaholic." And Mickey Rourke as "The Wrestler." Jamie Foxx in "The Soloist." Matt Damon in "Green Zone." The Sony Classics movie "Ashes Of Time Redux." And "Nothing Like The Holidays" and Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire." The Mike Leigh film "Happy Go Lucky." And the documentary "The Linguists." John C. Reilly in "Cirque Du Freak." Patrick Swayze in "Powder Blue." Jake Gyllenhaal as "Prince of Persia: Sands Of Time" and "The Dark Knight" himself, Christian Bale, as John Connor in "Terminator Salvation." Sam Raimi's "Drag Me To Hell." Oscar winner Adrien Brody in "The Brothers Bloom." Rose McGowan as "Red Sonja 2009." Mark Wahlberg in "Max Payne" and the adorable Michael Cera in "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist." Also Gerard Butler in the Frank Darabont film "Law Abiding Citizen" and the sexy Chace Crawford in "The Haunting of Molly Hartley" and "Tyler Perry's Madea Goes To Jail." Rob Zombie's "Tyrannosaurus Rex" and Justin Chatwin in "Dragonball" and Keanu Reeves in "The Day The Earth Stood Still." The independent movies: "The Dukes"and "Filth And Wisdom," directed by Madonna and "Rock N Rolla," directed by her husband, Guy Ritchie. And Seth Rogen is "The Green Hornet." Shia LaBeouf in "Transformers 2." The kid friendly movie "The Perfect Game" along with "Witchblade 2009," as well as Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor as lovers in "I Love You Phillip Morris." Sequels: Everything from Jason Statham in both "Crank 2" and "Transporter 3." Vin Diesel in "Fast And Furious 4." And "Underworld 3," the Steve Martin movie "The Pink Panther 2," and the requisite "Cloverfield 2" and "Iron Man 2." Also Channing Tatum in "GI Joe The Movie." And Seann William Scott in both "Role Models" and "Trainwreck: My Life As An Idiot." The big screen adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" and two Tony winning plays turned movies, "Doubt," starring Meryl Streep, and "Frost Nixon," starring Frank Langella. Also, "The Other End Of The Line" and The Rock in "Race To Witch Mountain." Also, "Friday the 13th 2009" and Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio's next collaboration, "Ashecliffe" aka "Shutter Island." In addition, the big screen incarnation of "Marley & Me" and "City Of Ember" and "The Spirit." Also, Sacha Baron Cohen as "Bruno." "The Great Buck Howard" and Nicolas Cage in "Knowing." Also, Brad Pitt in both "Inglorious Bastards" and "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button." The big screen adaptation of Maurice Sendack's "Where The Wild Things Are Movie," to fab film director Michael Mann's "Public Enemies," to "Saw 5," or "Saw V," depending whether you're into Roman numerals. And "Taken," starring Liam Neeson. "Local Color" and "Sex Drive." Along with "Watch Out" and "Wild Child" and "The Escapist." The probable movie box office smash, "Ice Age 3." And Daniel Radcliffe naked not in "Harry Potter 6" - but Daniel Radcliffe naked at WAM and on Broadway in "Equus." More? Sure! Peter Jackson's "District 9" and "The Lovely Bones" and "The Hobbit Movies." Colin Farrell in "Pride And Glory" and Leonardo DiCaprio in both "Revolutionary Road" and "Body Of Lies." And "Thor." Dreamorks Animations' "Madagascar 2" and "Monsters vs Aliens." "The Smurfs Movie;" and "Splice;" and "Repo: Genetic Opera;" "Push;" "Terminator 4;" "AstroBoy." Even more! "Fears of the Dark" and the big screen version of "Land of the Lost" and Oliver Stone's "W" along with Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" and "Chicago 7." And "Star Trek XI." Also, a slew of animated and non animated Walt Disney movies, many in 3D: including "Fraggle Rock: The Movie" and "The Jonas Brothers Movie 3D" and "Bolt," "The King of the Elves" and "Rapunzel," "The Bear and the Bow;" "Toy Story 3," "Newt," "The Princess And The Frog," "Up," "Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea" and "Cars 2." And Universal's animated movie "The Tale Of Despereaux." Heath Ledger's last movie, "Dr. Parnassus." "Black Devil Doll." More? Wesley Snipes in "Gallowwalker!" Even more: "Quarantine" and "Zack And Miri." Also: Zac Efron in three big screen 2008 movies: "Footloose 2010," "17 Again" and "High School Musical 3." "Bitch Slap" and Daniel Craig in "Defiance," and as 007 in "Bond 22," which now has the official title "Quantum of Solace;" "Delgo" and the Catholic films "Pope Joan" and prequel of "The DaVinci Code," "Angels & Demons;" "Hotel For Dogs" and "Synecdoche, New York" and Benicio Del Toro as "The Wolfman" and "Che." And "Notorious." Also, Hugh Jackman as "Wolverine;" "Valkyrie." The 2009 films, "He's Just Not That Into You," James ("Titanic") Cameron's "Avatar;" "Watchmen," (from the director of "300"), "The Bad Lieutenant 2009" and Hilary Swank in "Amelia." And "Adoration" and the non Disney animated movie"Coraline." Also, "Two Lovers" and Anne Hathaway in both "Passengers" and "Bride Wars." "The Reader," starring Ralph Fiennes. The long awaited page to screen "Twilight." Will Smith in "Seven Pounds" aka "7 LBS." The Canadian smash "3 P'tits Cochons," Italian worldwide hit "Gomorra," as well as the Chinese blockbuster "Red Cliff" and the French hits "Hunting And Gathering" and "Ch'tis." Not to mention the Australian smash "The Tender Hook". Also, Julia Stiles "Cry Of The Owl" in and Diablo Cody in "Jennifer's Body," which she also wrote. Sean Penn as Harvey "Milk." And don't forget the must 'not' sees "My Bloody Valentine 3D" and Uwe Boll's "Far Cry." "How To Be A Serial Killer" and, of course, Jean Claude Van Damme in the aptly titled "JCVD." Also, the "2009 Oscars." Our latest big screen movie entry - "The Uninvited" - movie poster and movie trailer premieres. For the current and complete 2008 movie box office report... (continue)




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