Why Mark Wahlberg Became a Producer ‘Out of Necessity’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Mark Wahlberg recently revealed why he became a producer for many of his major releases and his hope to direct in the future.
“I started becoming a producer out of necessity,” Wahlberg told Cigar Aficionado. “I didn’t want to sit around waiting for Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise or whoever was already established before me and were the guys at the time, and Leo [DiCaprio], to go and pass on a movie until I could get my hands on it.”
“I was always proactive in trying to find material and things that I could produce, that I knew was right for me, create my own destiny,” he added.
Many of Wahlberg’s best-known roles come from movies like THE FIGHTER, THE DEPARTED and TED—all projects he produced.
“If I’m gonna be in that position [as lead actor] I’d rather be behind the wheel,” he said, per Yahoo! Entertainment. “You’re going 100 miles an hour down the highway, do you want to be in the back seat with no seatbelt or do you want to be behind the wheel?”
With nearly 80 acting roles under his belt, Wahlberg now plans to slow down his acting career and focus on developing up-and-coming talent. He also hopes that he will be able to try his hand at directing.
“Well I’m certainly working harder now than ever,” he said. “Certain businesses, you kind of build them, pass them on or you exit. Hopefully my kids, we’ll see what their interests are, but I don’t think that I’ll be acting much longer at the pace I am now. That’s for sure. Because that’s the most difficult thing.”
PEOPLE added that Wahlberg and his family “moved to Nevada and [are] hoping to get a bill passed so we can get tax credits for the state, build a state-of-the-art studio here and make this Hollywood 2.0.’”
Wahlberg was involved in three movies released last year—ME TIME and Movieguide® Award-nominated movies UNCHARTED and FATHER STU—and has several upcoming releases, including Apple original movie, THE FAMILY PLAN, and Mel Gibson-directed FLIGHT RISK.
Movieguide® previously reported:
Mel Gibson announced his return to the director’s seat in new film FLIGHT RISK, he also announced the addition of Mark Wahlberg.
Gibson last directed HACKSAW RIDGE and appeared in FATHER STU with Mark Wahlberg.
Both HACKSAW RIDGE and FATHER STU were nominated for a Movieguide® award.
Joe Drake, Lionsgate Movie chairman told Deadline, “We love the undeniable electric pairing of Mel Gibson and Mark Wahlberg. These world-class talents combining for this dynamic, character-driven film will make Flight Risk one of the most suspense-filled, must-see events of the year.”
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