Mark Wahlberg has come a long way since his modest beginning days in Boston and his musical rise as hip-hopper Marky Mark.
Now a major player in Hollywood, the father of four who used to model Calvin Klein underwear, calls the shots and seems to relish most his role as dad.
In a candid interview with Parade, Mark Wahlberg opened up about receiving his high school diploma earlier this year, the big role faith plays in his life, who makes up his “entourage” these days, and his new film, Lone Survivor, which tells the incredible story of four Navy Seals on a covert mission to neutralize a high-level al-Qaeda operative in the mountains of Afghanistan.
What were your biggest takeaways from filming Lone Survivor?
It takes a very special individual to become a SEAL. I felt it was so important to give the guys who never came down off that mountain their due. My wife couldn’t talk for 45 minutes after she saw the movie. All she kept thinking about were the sons and fathers and mothers and daughters out there fighting for our freedom. You take it for granted.
How do you spend Sundays?
If the kids are good, I’ll have doughnuts for them at 6:30 in the morning, and I’ll say, “You guys gotta let Mommy sleep in!” I’ll go to church at 7:30 and everybody will be eating breakfast when I come home. Then we’ll go to church again at 10:30, if things aren’t too hectic. Or if one of the kids has a game we’ll watch them play. It’s a nice family day.
Faith is obviously a big part of your life.
It’s the most important part of my life. I don’t try to push it on anybody and I don’t try to hide it.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
My sons and I thoroughly enjoy Legos. We go to the toy store every week for more. I never want to take what we build apart; I want to put it on a shelf. My wife is starting to get a little annoyed with the Legos lying around.
Who’s in your entourage now?
My wife, the kids, and a wonderful nanny. When I’m filming, all the guys are with me; but if I’m not at work, I’m with my family.
Did you feel you had a lot to prove early in your career?
Certainly. I don’t think it was customary for people from a music background to be accepted in film in a serious way. Considering what I had to overcome, I’ve had plenty to motivate me. Even more so today—I’m passionate about what I do. I’m a little older, but I’m not getting lazy!
For more from on Mark new reality series about his family’s Boston burger joint, Wahlburgers, go the the link below.
http://www.parade.com/239659/erinhill/mark-wahlberg-on-family-faith-and-the-importance-of-legos/