Mark Wahlberg speaks about his experience filming The Departed, including the tension between him and the film’s director Martin Scorsese.
Mark Wahlberg says he “was pissed about a couple of things” behind the scenes of The Departed, which cast him in a role different than he initially wanted.
Few artists have succeeded in reinventing themselves like Mark Wahlberg. He has worked alongside a Hollywood who’s-who of actors since then, cast in dramas, thrillers, sci-fi, comedies, and every subgenre in between.
In 2006, Wahlberg was part of a stellar ensemble in Martin Scorsese’s The Departed. In an interview with Josh Horowitz, Wahlberg explains the issues he had with his role and experience behind the scenes of the movie.
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Mark Wahlberg’s Gripe With Martin Scorsese
“I was a little pissed about a couple of things but look it all worked out in the end, I think,” he admitted. Wahlberg revealed that he wasn’t expecting to play Sergeant Sean Dignam, the character who enacted the film’s most cathartic revenge kill. “Originally I was supposed to play another part.
Originally I was supposed to get paid. Originally, I was supposed to be … you know. And then we agreed that I would play Dignam, when I saw the advantages of playing that part and how I would approach the situation with everybody else playing opposite me.”
Wahlberg didn’t mention the part he initially wanted to play, but his portrayal of Dignam did earn him a nod for Best Supporting Actor at the 2007 Academy Awards.
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Wahlberg also revealed tension behind the scenes of the film, which cast some of the industry’s most bankable actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Alec Baldwin, and Martin Sheen.
He confirmed his part was brief but he still had to work it around other commitments. “I had another movie after. I just finished Four Brothers, and I was going into Invincible after,” he explained.
“I was trying to grow my hair out, which is why I had that weird hair. Everybody’s like ‘What’s the wig about?’ It was not a wig, I was just trying to grow my hair for the next film. But I totally understood where Marty was coming from.
He had to head with Jack, he had to deal with Matt and Leo and Alec when I liked it and everything. The studio![…] I was supposed to be in and out in five weeks.”
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Wahlberg’s role in The Departed was followed by lead castings in Shooter, The Happening, Max Payne, Ted, and two Transformers films among others. Aside from his new film Arthur the King, Wahlberg is also poised to remake The Six Billion Dollar Man, a reboot based on the ’70s sci-fi adventure series.
Arthur the King is now showing in theaters. The Departed is streaming on Netflix.
