Mark Wahlberg is thinking about his future.
The seasoned actor, producer and businessman sat down Cigar lover to cover the publication’s September/October issue, in which he opens up to Marvin R. Shanken about his past, present and future business endeavors. Notably, the 52-year-old blockbuster star is questioning how much longer he can last in front of the cameras.
“Well, I’m definitely working harder now than ever. You build certain businesses, pass them on, or leave. Hopefully my kids, we’ll see what their interests are, but I don’t think I’ll be playing that much longer at the rate I’m at now,” he explains, mentioning his four children with wife Rhea Durham. “That’s for sure. Because that’s the hardest part.”
This pace has led to a number of recent films on the acting side, incl Me Time, Father Stu, Uncharted, Infinite, Joe Bell and Spenser Confidential and upcoming titles like Arthur the King, The Union, The Family Plan, Flight Risk and The Six Billion Dollar Man. During the wide-ranging interview, Wahlberg talked about family, faith, and how creating his own opportunities as a producer helped diversify his Hollywood resume.
“I became a producer out of necessity,” he says. “I wasn’t going to sit around and wait for Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise or whoever was already established before me and they were guys at the time and Leo (DiCaprio) to go and hand me the movie until I got it right. it. I’ve always been proactive about finding material and things to make that I knew were right for me, to create my own destiny.”
On that note, Wahlberg admits that he can continue to expand his talent by jumping into the director’s chair by “working with some of the other big talents,” which include the next generation. Meanwhile, he’s busy building his empire, which includes the Flecha Azul tequila brand.
Fans of his past filmography may appreciate what he had to say about taking on the role of porn artist Dirk Diggler in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1997 film. Boogie Nights. “When I first heard about the film, I wasn’t attracted to the subject. I came out of the whole Marky Mark thing, pulled down my pants, my Calvin Klein underwear—I didn’t know if it was just another level of exploitation of me, and now all of a sudden we have to lose our underwear,” he recalls. “My agents kept pushing me. So I read the first 25, 30 pages and kind of put it down. I thought it could be something great, or it could be absolutely terrible.”
