The Huge Star Mark Wahlberg Fumbled The Chance To Work With
Mark Wahlberg, entrepreneur, former rapper, and A-list actor is opening up about a past movie pitch that went all wrong. First though, let's take a look at how this Hollywood star got his start. Before Wahlberg became the actor he is today, he led the boy band known as Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. And while his rap styles will hold their place in history, he became a much better actor.
According to Brittanica, Wahlberg's breakout came in 1997, playing porn star Dirk Diggler in "Boogie Nights." While that put him on the path to super-stardom, he revealed to Entertainment Weekly that he regretted the role. "I just always hope that God is a movie fan and also forgiving because I've made some poor choices in my past," he said.
Wahlberg flexed his acting chops in 2010's "The Other Guys," which IMDb notes was one of his best comedies, but it's Wahlberg's drama movies that he's best known for. In 2006, his efforts in a supporting role in "The Departed" earned him an Oscar nomination, despite a cast list that included Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, and Martin Sheen.
Wahlberg's career has had some great highs and serious lows, but there is one instance that sticks out for the actor, and that's his failed pitch for a sequel he really wanted to make.
Mark Wahlberg blew an opportunity to work with a huge A-List star
Mark Wahlberg is a famed actor in his own right, but recently, the New York Post reported that he had one pitch that he really wanted to see through. Unfortunately, it was a failure from the start.
When Wahlberg concluded his work on "The Departed," he went on to other projects, but the movie never left his imagination. Eventually, an idea for a sequel — effectively named "The Departed 2" — was in the works. Wahlberg tapped screenwriter William Monahan to write for the sequel and left it at that. "He's the kind of guy you just trust to go and write something. And so when we were working on the script for 'Cocaine Cowboys' and 'American Desperado,' I said, 'Bill, just go write.' Warner Bros. likes to have things well-thought out and planned."
That tactic didn't turn out so well for the seasoned actor, according to Esquire. "Let's just say the pitch didn't go very well," the Boston native said with a laugh. "Bill didn't really have anything fleshed out."
It was a serious letdown for Wahlberg, as it also nixed a perfect opportunity for the actor to work with one of Hollywood's biggest stars. In "The Departed," Brad Pitt was set to play Matt Damon's character, Collin Sullivan, but opted to produce the film instead. That didn't stop Wahlberg, however, from wanting to bring Pitt and Robert De Niro back for his sequel efforts. "It'd be a pretty good one," Wahlberg claimed of his "The Departed 2."