Mark Wahlberg gets real about gaining weight for his new movie.
The “Dad’s Home” star, 50, got candid on the Australian radio show “Kyle & Jackie O” about his “difficult” experience with weight gain for his upcoming movie, “Father Stu,” where he plays a boxer-turned-priest.
On Getting Ready For A Role
Hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson asked the actor which was easier for him — to lose weight or to gain weight for a role, Wahlberg said, “I would say it’s easier to stay fit. It’s easier to stay in shape than it is to get in shape.”
He continued by reflecting on his physical preparations for “Father Stu,” saying, “I put on 30 pounds after for another film that was really difficult. I’m not getting any younger.”
What Mark Wahlberg Gave Tom Holland
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Wahlberg also mentioned his “Uncharted co-star Tom Holland, who did most of the “heavy lifting.”
“I did not have to be in the kind of shape that Tom had to be in. I know you saw the film, so he has to do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to the stunts and I’m always pretending to be hurt,” he said.
During the chat, Wahlberg also revealed the gift he gave Holland.
“Well, here’s the thing. I knew exactly what it was. Tom’s got a dirty mind, that’s on him,” he joked. “I wanted to help him. He’s talking about training and having a hard time recovering. I gave him this beautiful power plate massage gun, and whatever, wherever his mind went, that’s on him.”
The Hilarious Misinterpretation
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Whether the “Spider-Man: No Way Home” star ever questioned him about the gift, Wahlberg said Holland “didn’t mention it at all.”
“He just kind of looked at it, and was like, ‘Oh, thank you, thank you.’ I didn’t think anything of it. And then I was like, him coming in over. So I said, ‘what about I just drive you down to the hotel?’ And then he was like, ‘oh, no, no, I’m okay. I can drive. I’ll walk. I’ll get an Uber.’ He just wanted to get out of my house,” Wahlberg recalled.
“I was like, ‘Dude, I’m not gonna let you take an Uber. You’re my guest.’ So that really freaked him out. He didn’t tell me until after we were on set shooting and I was like, ‘What?!’ So this is the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard,” he added.
Gaining Over 15,000 Calories
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As for “Father Stu,” Wahlberg previously talked about his weight gain journey on “The Tonight Show” in July, saying that the process was “fun for about an hour.”
“Unfortunately, I had to consume, for two weeks, 7,000 calories, and then for another two weeks, 11,000 calories,” the former rapper told host Jimmy Fallon. “It’s such a hard, physical thing to do. Losing weight, you just kind of tough it out, you just don’t eat, and exercise.”
He added, “And this, even when you’re full, I would wake up after a meal and have another meal.”
Wahlberg noted that he “was eating every three hours,” and that the whole experience “was not fun.”
How Age Impacts Fitness
At the time, he also mentioned how losing and gaining weight even just for a role has become harder as he’s getting older.
“Once the metabolism starts to slow down, it gets really difficult,” Wahlberg explained. “I was trying to get this movie made for six years, we only had 30 days to shoot it, and so I wanted to really make it happen. And [I] was also crazy to have financed a lot of it myself. So I knew I was on a ticking clock on my own dime, and you get things done pretty quickly when that’s the case.”
Always Giving His Best
The “Spenser Confidential” star’s dedication to his craft has been nothing but outstanding.
“I take [my job] seriously, so whatever I gotta do to get ready, I’m doing,” he told Men’s Health in July 2020. “I got a responsibility to show up prepared and the way they want me to be, so that’s what I do. And ultimately, I know it just makes me feel better.”
At the height of the pandemic where most states were on lockdown, Wahlberg’s wife Rhea Durham acted as his training partner.
“My wife usually likes to pick the playlist, but she’s been doing amazing,” he joked. “She’s been with us now five days a week and hasn’t missed a day… she’s doing the work and doing things she didn’t think she could do.”
