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Mark Wahlberg: God most important part of my life
Actor Mark Wahlberg poses with his plaque after his star was unveiled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California, July 29, 2010. Wahlberg's star is the 2,414th star on the Walk of Fame.
Credit: Reuters/Danny Moloshok
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LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Actor Mark Wahlberg received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday as part of the promotion for "The Other Guys."
The cop comedy, starring Will Ferrell and directed by Adam McKay, opens in North America next Friday through Sony Pictures.
The one-time rapper and underwear model, who made his acting debut in 1994's "Renaissance Man," recently chatted about comedy, God and kids.
IN DOING A COMEDY, DID YOU DISCOVER AN ASPECT OF YOURSELF YOU HADN'T BEFORE?
Mark Wahlberg: Coming from where I come from, you're always worried about what people think and you become a bit self-conscious. There's no room for that on the set of their movies. I felt confident and comfortable enough with those guys knowing that I'd be protected to put myself out there.
YOU FIRST TRIED YOUR HAND AT COMEDY WITH "DATE NIGHT" THIS YEAR.
Wahlberg: Comedy is something I've wanted to do for a long time. But you gotta do it with the right people. If you don't, then you probably won't get too many other opportunities. I was already signed on to do the Will Ferrell, Adam McKay movie when this opportunity came up, so it was a nice way to get my feet wet.
"THE FIGHTER" (DUE IN DECEMBER) IS YOUR THIRD PROJECT WITH DIRECTOR DAVID O. RUSSELL (FOLLOWING "THREE KINGS" AND "I HEART HUCKABEES"). HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RELATIONSHIP?
Wahlberg: Our friendship is probably the most important aspect. We've both experienced a lot in the amount of time that we've known each other. We can say whatever we're thinking and not have to worry about hurting each other's feelings. When it came to "Fighter," I had been trying to make the movie for a long time and he got hold of the script. He kept talking to me about it and kept saying all the right things. I realized that with him is how we make the best version of the film.
WHY WAS THAT MOVIE IMPORTANT TO YOU?
Wahlberg: I promised (boxing champ) Micky Ward, whom I play in the movie, that we were gonna get it done. I trained for 4-1/2 years. There were times where I was like, "Forget about it, it's just not going to happen." But then, of course, I'm thinking, "I can't put in all this time and effort and not get it done."
IT SOUNDS LIKE IT WAS A LESSON IN PATIENCE.
Wahlberg: I need to be more patient.
DO YOU HAVE ANY RITUALS?
Wahlberg: I pray a lot. I was raised around the church, but then I strayed off and started hanging out with guys in the neighborhood. When I got into trouble, I turned to God. Once I started to refocus my faith, really good things started happening for me. And even when bad things happened, it was a lot easier to deal with. It's become the most important part of my life.
BESIDE THAT, WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOU'RE AN ABSOLUTE EXPERT ON?
Wahlberg: "Dora the Explorer." Anything to do with kids, I'm pretty sharp on.
Hopefully, you will eventually realize that how silly it is to set an imaginary friend as the center of your universe.
Mocking other people’s faith is a sure sign that you’re not too comfortable with your own–especially when you say you believe in nothing.
Let the man be happy, dude. Better yet, go find some happiness of your own.
“Hopefully you will eventually realize that how silly it is to set an imaginary friend as the center of your universe.”
…as opposed to setting yourself as the center of yours?
Actually I’m quite happy with regarding the center of the universe to be the center of the universe.
Reality works well for me, but thanks for your kind Christian concern.
Don’t know about most people, but the idea of seeing myself as the center of the universe seems pretty dang sad.
And again, what’s with all the scorn? Me being Christian, or Jewish, or Muslim or whatever shouldn’t be a big deal to you. I know I don’t stay up nights incensed over all the atheists out there.
