Mark Wahlberg: 'I Don't Think That I'll Be Acting That Much Longer'

The Golden Globe-nominated actor teased that he is considering retirement in the not too distant future.

By Stephen Andrew

Mark Wahlberg recently dropped some hints that he's pondering the end of his acting career. During a conversation with Cigar Aficionado, the Boogie Nights actor shared how things have been going lately, saying, "Well, I'm certainly working harder now than ever. Certain businesses, you kind of build them, pass them on or you exit." Wahlberg then added, "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."

Wahlberg is a father of four, sharing all of his children with wife Rhea Durham, whom his been with since 2001. Notably, Wahlberg seemed to imply that just because he may retire from acting, does not mean he'll quit working behind the camera. "I started becoming a producer out of necessity," he shared. "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."

In 2022, Wahlberg had three big films: Uncharted, Father Stu, and the Netflix comedy Me Time with Kevin Hart. He currently has three more in various stages of development: Arthur the King, Our Man from Jersey and The Family Plan. At this time, none of the new films have announced premiere dates.

Previously, PopCulture.com caught up with Me Time director John Hamburg to discuss the film, and he dished on one notable scene in which viewers are re-introduced to Wahlberg's character, Huck, in his literal birthday suit. "That's full Wahlberg," Hamburg joked when we asked if the actor used a body double. "He committed. Who can pull off a Mark Wahlberg body double? No, he was full commitment."

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Speaking about the hilarious moment, Hamburg then revealed that Hart played a big part in getting Wahlberg to strip down for the movie. "I will say that scene was not in the first draft that Mark committed to. Kevin was the one who was like, 'I feel like we need a bigger introduction for the Huck character.' He didn't say what," Hamburg recalled. "I came up with the idea that you might see him and he's been skinny dipping and felt kind of like a unique way to introduce this character, that it would say a lot about him and about the dynamics between him and Kevin."

Hamburg continued, "As long as it was a closed set, and it was from behind, Mark was game." Adding to the potential awkwardness, the director went on to explain, "That was also his first day of filming, I should say. We completely threw him into the deep end." He then added that "Mark is a committed actor."

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