Mark Wahlberg is no alien to gaining and losing drastic weight for a movie and one of the biggest examples of the actor’s extreme dedication to the craft is 2014’s The Gambler. Although the remake did fall short of the original film, which starred James Caan at its forefront, Wahlberg did everything he could to do justice to the 1974 movie.
But apart from the exhausting process of losing around 60 pounds for the role of Jim Bennett, the actor also had to endure a few hits from an Oscar-Winning star during the filming of The Gambler.
Jessica Lange enjoyed slapping Mark Wahlberg in The Gambler
Apart from Mark Wahlberg, the cast comprised some other notable names, including Brie Larson and Oscar-winning actress Jessica Lange. But it seems unlike the Pain & Gain star, who had a hard time adjusting to his character for the film, the Tootsie star loved the material she was given as she enjoyed landing some hits on Wahlberg. Reflecting on the hilarious situation, Wahlberg explained that Jessica Lange, who played the part of his mother in the film, loved slapping the actor so much that he had to request her to stop doing that off camera. He explained,
“Jessica’s fantastic. She loved slapping me. When she’d slap me hard, she wouldn’t ask me if I was OK. If she kind of missed, she’d be like, ‘Are you OK?’ I was like, just stop it! Just don’t do it in rehearsal, and don’t do it when I’m off camera.”
Apart from the brilliant performances from the cast, it appears Wahlberg and Rupert Wyatt did reach out to the original Jim Bennett to convince him to star in the retelling of the iconic story.
James Caan brushed off the idea to star in The Gambler remake
In order to pay proper respect to James Caan’s The Gambler, which was the basis for the 2014 film, it seems Mark Wahlberg and director Rupert Wyatt did ask Caan to come back for the remake. According to Caan, they discussed the possibility of casting the Misery star as a thug in the updated version. However, Caan brushed off this idea as he didn’t want to distract fans from the modern adaptation of the classic story. The actor recalled,
“What a horrible idea, a ridiculous distraction. Me, I thought, ‘Why even remind them?’ Then I think both came to their senses.”
Unfortunately, the extreme commitment from Mark Wahlberg wasn’t enough to make the film a success, as the remake wasn’t able to score high numbers at the box office upon its release.
The Gambler is available to stream on Apple TV.
Source: PopSugar
