Summary
- Mark Wahlberg reflects on his initial reluctance to star in Boogie Nights due to concerns about being exploited.
- Wahlberg discusses how his career as a producer allowed him to take control of his own destiny in Hollywood.
- The Transformers star reveals that he may not continue acting at the same pace, as he plans to focus on other business ventures and spend more time with his family.
In a new interview with Cigar Aficionado (via The Hollywood Reporter), star Mark Wahlberg discussed his career in Hollywood and reflected on his initial reluctance to star in the 1997 classic Boogie Nights due to concerns about potentially being exploited.
The drama film Boogie Nights was directed and written by Paul Thomas Anderson. In addition to Wahlberg, the film also features Luis Guzman, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, Rico Bueno, John C. Reilly, Nicole Ari Parker, Heather Graham, William H. Macy, Don Cheadle, and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Boogie Nights takes place in the San Fernando Valley in 1977 and follows teenager Eddie Adams (played by Wahlberg) whose life takes a drastic turn after he’s discovered by porn director Jack Horner (played by Reynolds) and becomes the adult-film star known as Dirk Diggler.
While chatting with the outlet, the Uncharted star opened up about his long-standing career in entertainment and revealed how working as a producer helped Wahlberg branch out. Wahlberg stated:
“I started becoming a producer out of necessity. 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.”
Mark Wahlberg Said He Initially Had Concerns About Potentially Being Exploited
Still, while the actor’s drive to stay engaged in the industry has earned him plenty of work, Wahlberg noted that when it came to acting, he didn’t simply take any project offered to him. Wahlberg revealed that he was actually initially reluctant to star in Boogie Nights due to concerns regarding exploitation. He said:
“When I first heard about the film, the subject matter was not appealing to me. I came from the whole Marky Mark thing, pulling down my pants, Calvin Klein underwear — I didn’t know if this was just the next level of exploiting me, and now, all of a sudden, we have to lose the underwear.”
The Pain & Gain star went on to say, “My agents kept pushing me. So I read the first 25, 30 pages, and I kind of put it down. I was like, this could be something great, or this could be absolutely terrible.”
During the interview, the star additionally discussed his plans for the future, telling the outlet, “Well, I’m certainly working harder now than ever. 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 that much longer at the pace I am now. That’s for sure. Because that’s the most difficult thing.”
Boogie Nights is currently available to stream on Hulu with a premium subscription.
