Actor Mark Wahlberg has spoken about his character in the 2006 film The Departed, revealing that he was initially unhappy about the role. Wahlberg played Sergeant Dignam of the Massachusetts State Police and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for the part. Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Wahlberg revealed that he was originally meant to play another role in the film and that the situation caused him to feel “pissed” during filming. The actor did not provide further details on what this original role had been or on any possible payment issues related to his work on the movie.
The film, directed by Martin Scorsese, centres around Billy Costigan, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, who goes undercover to infiltrate the Irish mob. Nicholson plays mob boss Frank Costello. Wahlberg worked alongside DiCaprio in the film, but evidently felt unhappy about the role at first. He later understood Scorsese’s point of view better and has since said he’s glad he played Sergeant Dignam.
Wahlberg told the podcast that he had another movie to go to after The Departed and was trying to grow his hair longer for this next film. The actor said, “You know, everybody’s like, what was that wig about? I was like, it was not a wig, I was just trying to grow my hair for the next film”. The host of the podcast then asked if the next film was Invincible, to which Wahlberg confirmed it was. Wahlberg said that he was allowed some room to have fun with the character, but at first was only thinking about making the role believable.
Last year, Wahlberg spoke about his daily routine and how he maintains a structured work ethic and healthy lifestyle. In an interview with Parade, the actor spoke about his 3:30am wake-up time. He also mentioned his cheat day and revealed that he had woken up at 4.30am on that day off.
Wahlberg is currently involved in the Apple film The Family Plan. In 2020, Jackass star Bam Margera credited Wahlberg with helping him to be 100 days sober.
The cast of The Departed included Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin, Vera Farmiga, Anthony Anderson, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, and Kevin Corrigan. The film earned Scorsese the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Director at the 2007 Academy Awards ceremony
Read the full article on NME here: Read More