Mark Wahlberg was tired of picking up Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt’s crumbs

So he founded his own production company, tired of being offered roles only when they were refused by other stars.

In an interview given to Cigar Aficionado magazine, Mark Wahlberg looks back on his career and explains why he turned to the production sector in recent years.

“I started becoming a producer out of necessity (…), considers the actor Boogie Nights. I didn’t want to sit and wait for Brad Pitt Or Tom Cruise or any of those who were established before me and were the leaders at the time, like Leo (DiCaprio), decline a movie, say no so I can get my hands on it.”

Wahlberg started becoming a producer on all these major projects in 2010 when he was starring in The Fighter alongsideAmy Adams And Christian Bale. “I have always been proactive in seeking out material and things that I could produce, that I thought were meant for me, to create my own destiny.”, he explains.

For Boogie Nightsreleased in 1997, Paul Thomas Anderson had in fact initially bet on DiCaprio, who refused to shoot Titanic, by James Cameron. And it was he who proposed the name of Mark Wahlberg, whom he had met in Basketball Diaries. Moreover, Bale, from the same generation, also obtained important roles while DiCaprio had been considered before him, such as that of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho…

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The star also revealed that after acting and producing, it was director that he wanted to try. He adds that he’s going to slow down his acting career a bit, probably to focus on this next step behind the camera: “I’m working more than ever right now. (…) Some businesses, you build them, you pass them on and then you stop. (…) I don’t think I’ll play at this pace for much longer. That’s for sure. Because it’s the hardest thing.”

After a busy year 2022 (Uncharted ; Me Time: Finally alone? ; Father Stu: A hero like no other), Mark Wahlberg is showing in The Family Plan which will soon be released on Apple TV+ and Our Man from Jersey alongsideHalle Berry which will soon be released on Netflix.

Mark Wahlberg asks God for forgiveness for Boogie Nights