Action star Mark Wahlberg gives a definite answer about his reluctance to join the superhero genre, and reveals the one role he almost played. From thrillers to comedy, the Academy Award-nominated actor has been featured in practically every genre, except for superhero films. But as it turns out, he’s not “really interested” in wearing the singular costumes and saving the world from evil villains.
Wahlberg is currently promoting his upcoming movie, the action thriller Play Dirty, which releases on Prime Video on October 1. The star of Lone Survivor and Deepwater Horizon talked to ET Online about his role in the movie directed by Shane Black (the director of the MCU sequel Iron Man 3). When asked about directors he wishes he would have worked with at some point, Wahlberg remains coy but ultimately reveals the one superhero film he could have starred in: It was to play Robin in Joel Schumacher’s critically panned sequel Batman & Robin. Wahlberg said:
“I was in talk. I did not get the official offer, but I was meeting with Joel Schumacher about Batman & Robin for Robin. I was a fan of Joel’s and his other works, but I wasn’t really interested in that type of project.”
When asked about his relationship with MCU icon Robert Downey Jr. and the possibility that he may enter the Marvel universe, Wahlberg was quick in saying no. Downey Jr. and his wife Susan are the producers of Play Dirty, and Wahlberg talked about getting the approval from Downey himself, who was at some point attached to play the lead in the film. When asked if the Iron Man actor could lure him into the MCU, Wahlberg said this:
“I don’t know if I have the confidence to walk out of my trailer in one of those costumes. I have seen many that I love, Iron Man being my favorite. I think that was really the epitome of quality superhero films.
“But I just never really had the opportunity, so I never had to make any decision on whether I would or not. But I haven’t really pursued anything in that genre either.”
Not That Wahlberg Has Needed to Play a Superhero to Make a Name for Himself
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It’s hard to imagine someone other than Chris O’Donnell as Robin in the campy and divisive film that is Batman & Robin. However, we’re pretty sure that Wahlberg would have done a fine job. It was 1997, and The Basketball Diaries and Fear had already come out, cementing his transition from rapper to serious actor. That same year, Wahlberg passed on Batman & Robin but said yes to another major project that his co-star in The Basketball Diaries, Leonardo DiCaprio, had passed on. It was the career-defining project Boogie Nights.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s epic drama about the adult film industry put Wahlberg in the spotlight as a young star who was versatile enough to make films in any genre. Three Kings and The Perfect Storm (which starred Batman & Robin’s lead, George Clooney) were essential predecessors of a career that simply got better with time.
A photo of actor Mark Wahlberg at a screening of Arthur The King
Birthname
Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg
Birthdate
June 5, 1971
Birthplace
Dorchester, Massachusetts, USA