Mark Wahlberg is one of the most talented and successful actors in Hollywood. Best known for his work in massively successful projects like Ted, The Transformers franchise, Father Stu, and The Departed, he has made a name for himself as an incredibly versatile actor, willing to go above and beyond for the characters that he plays. This dedication to his craft has been awarded to Wahlberg time and time again through the many awards and nominations that he has received, including two Acadamy Award nominations for his films The Departed and The Fighter.
Despite all of this success, Wahlberg is, perhaps, most well known through his work in the 1996 thriller, Fear, a film that lives up to its name. What is quite interesting to find out, is that the director, James Foley, best known for directing Fifty Shades Freed, and Fifty Shades Darker, initially did not want to cast Wahlberg, until he had a sudden intense change of heart.
James Foley Did Not Want Mark Wahlberg In Fear Despite A Very Long Meeting
During an interview, Mark Wahlberg revealed the story of how he got the role for his 1996 film, Fear. James Foley was approached by Leonardo DiCaprio, a long-time friend of the actor, who told him that Wahlberg would be the perfect fit for the film and asked the director to give him a shot. Reluctant at first, Foley eventually set up a lunch with the actor which turned into an eight-hour-long meeting of the two enjoying each other’s company.
“So I had a meeting with Jamie. We had an eight-hour meeting. Had lunch, went to a bar, and then by the time I got to my house, my phone was ringing and it was him and he was like ‘Hey dude, I just want to let you know, I mean, there is no way you can have this part but I really had a good time with you. I hope we can still be friends.’ I said, dude, I wouldn’t have hung out with you for more than the ceremonial hour if I didn’t have a good time with you too. It’s all good.” He said
The two switch from lunch to a bar, and when Wahlberg went back home at the end, he received a call from Foley, who told him that even though the two had a lot of fun together, there was no way that he could give the actor the part. Despite this, however, the director wanted to remain friends with the actor, who was completely on board with the idea and was extremely understanding.
James Foley Switched Sides After Mark Wahlberg Auditioned For The Role
Despite the fact that Mark Wahlberg was understanding of James Foley’s decision to not cast him in Fear, the director felt quite guilty for raising the actor’s expectations. So, as a way to make up for this, the director gave the actor an opportunity to audition for a smaller part in the film. The lines for these parts, however, were not long enough to conduct an audition for, so, Wahlberg ended up reading the part of David McCall, the antagonist of the film, for the sake of the audition.
“Then he kind of felt bad and was like, ‘Well, maybe I can audition you for one of the guys in the gang.’ but the other guys in the gang didn’t have enough lines to really even audition for so I was reading the part for David McCall but to play one of the other parts. And then, after my audition, he had actually gone to the studio and told said that ‘If you don’t hire Mark Wahlberg in the lead of this movie then I’m not gonna go the movie.'” he stated.
After the audition, however, Foley completely switched, amazed by the actor’s acting capabilities and skill to play his character so well. Wahlberg revealed that the director ended up approaching the studio and told them that if the actor will not be a part of this project, he, himself, will walk away from the film. Things seem to have gone Wahlberg’s way as the actor played McCall in the iconic film.
Source: Youtube
