Back in 2006, Martin Scorsese recruited an all-star list of actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, and Matt Damon for the action thriller flick The Departed. Mark Wahlberg also has a notable role in the film, but it wasn't exactly all fun and games for Daddy's Home star.
Wahlberg, who plays Sergeant Sean Dignam in the movie, reflected on the experience in a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. "I was a little pissed about a couple of things," he admitted. "Originally I was supposed to play another part. We agreed that I would play Dignam and I saw the advantages of playing that part and how I would approach the situation with everybody playing opposite me."
At the time, Wahlberg was gearing up to star in Invincible, which chronicled the life of Philadelphia Eagles star Vince Papale. The actor needed to have longer hair for the role, which created friction with Scorsese while he was still filming The Departed.
"I was only supposed to do a couple of weeks on The Departed so I was able to grow my hair for Invincible. But then the schedule changed, and four months later, I’m still working on The Departed, so I wouldn’t cut my hair and Marty was pissed off," Wahlberg said. "He was like, ‘You’ve got to cut your f--king hair,' and I [said], 'I don’t give a f--k.'"
In the end, they were able to settle their differences, and Wahlberg recognized it was a high-stress situation for everyone involved.
"I understand where Marty was coming from," Wahlberg said. "He had to deal with Jack, he had to deal with Matt and Leo and everything, the studio and everyone else that was in the cast."
"We had a couple of issues, but ultimately, when I read that particular role, I was like, 'Okay, this is a good role. This is an opportunity for me to really kind of go off and have some fun,'" he recounted.
With successful movies out like Killers of the Flower Moon and Arthur the King, clearly both Scorsese and Wahlberg are doing just fine today.
