Mark Wahlberg: ‘I haven’t looked in a mirror in 10 years, I’ve got nothing to prove’

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Go ahead and call me an idiot, but I got super-confused with the way GQ UK released their July cover story with Mark Wahlberg. I think they released the cover image more than a month ago, but they only got around to releasing some quotes from the piece (they actually put the full article online two days ago) this week. It’s weird. But we’ve never covered this stuff, although some of the quotes about Mark’s daughters sound similar to his recent People Mag interview. You can read the full GQ UK piece here, and here are some highlights:

Playing a father of teenage daughter in Transformers: “If Hollywood had its way, normally [in a movie like this] Nicola would play my girlfriend. But I wanted to embrace the idea of playing older, of playing” – he hesitates a moment – “what will be my reality in the very near future.”

His first daughter: “When I first found out we were having a girl, it was a little kick in the stomach. My mother was like, ‘That’s what you get!’ But it’s really been the greatest thing ever, because I have a wonderful relationship with [my daughter], that’s helped me in my other relationships and in my relationships with women in general.”

He’s more protective of his daughters: “My wife is very particular about what the kids can watch. I have a bit of a double standard. My boys, they want to watch everything, but I’m very protective of my girls.”

Preparation for the role: “Everyone’s different. I know some actors have their whole routine where they don’t want anybody around them [on the set], or they need to play music or whatever, but the James Cagney philosophy always made more sense to me. Prepare for the part. Be the part. And with no great effort, play the part.”

Why he turned into a great producer: “I got tired of waiting for the right project to drop on to my desk. If I don’t do it, nobody else is going to do it, and if I don’t tell everybody how to do it, it’s not going to be done the right way. I’ve got people where positive encouragement is going to get the best results and other people where I have to threaten to crack their head open.”

Aging: “Look, I’m 42 years old, I haven’t looked in a mirror in ten years. I don’t give a f*** how I look. If I have to prepare for a part physically, I will, but I’ve got nothing to prove. I’m not trying to impress anybody.”

[From GQ UK]

I shuddered a little bit at “where I have to threaten to crack their head open.” This is the same guy who beat a man so badly that the man went blind in one eye. I have no doubt that Mark still has that kind of violence inside of him, but I guess we should also give him credit for transforming his life into something other than violent thuggery. But still… there are reminders and it feels like Mark makes enough people enough money that no one wants to bring up his past.

I also have to give Mark some credit for not whining about his movie star lifestyle. He never complains. I appreciate that and it’s worth noting because most of them DO complain.

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Photos courtesy of GQ UK.

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61 Responses to “Mark Wahlberg: ‘I haven’t looked in a mirror in 10 years, I’ve got nothing to prove’”

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  1. SpookySpooks says:

    That is because you’re not a woman, Mark.

    • Lollipop says:

      My thoughts exactly. Actors don’t have to be young and pretty to get roles.

    • Lolo-ology says:

      Yeeeup. As his is freedom to *choose* to portray an older character. While women past 35 or so are shunted into only those roles. #maleprivilege

    • word says:

      !00% agree with you. He’s a man therefore he has no idea.

    • Chris says:

      Over 50% of people who go to the movies are women. Why do they support such a sexist industry?

  2. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    Yuck. Double standards and lies. I haven’t looked in a mirror for 10 years. My sons can watch anything but I’m more protective of my daughters. Please. Can’t stand him.

    • SpookySpooks says:

      I didn’t get his comment about having a daughter. Was he disappointed it was a girl? He wanted a son?

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        I thought he meant he was such a douche to women that his mother thought it would be difficult for him to have a daughter because he knew how men like him treated women?

    • Tanguerita says:

      +1. Mysoginistic little pig.

    • Esmom says:

      I know. Gross.

    • Arock says:

      When I first read the article I was kind of annoyed by the tone of arrogance and self importance the interview has. Then I remembered the guy is Marky Marky, of Funky Bunch fame. Marky Marky and the Funky Bunch- pretty hard core, Marky.
      Now when I read it again, the appropriate ” what a moron eyeroll” is in place. Idiot.

    • Tiffany :) says:

      Yeah…and the sad thing is, he probably doesn’t realize that his comments were sexist in anyway.

  3. Sue says:

    I like their show Wahlburgers. I love their sense of family!

    • Dash says:

      That show is weirdly addictive. I was so surprised that Mark would even do a reality show, but it seems like he really wanted to help his family.

    • TheOriginalKitten says:

      I haven’t eaten there yet but when it first opened, everyone said it was terrible.

      It might have improved since.

  4. NewWester says:

    Mark will not look in a mirror because he knows his true ugly inner self will show through.

  5. GiGi says:

    I like him, generally, but I REALLY hate people who perpetuate the preciousness of girls. I want my daughters to know/be aware of ev-er-y-thing, so they can be well informed and prepared to make up their own minds. For me, the only guiding factor with what my kids watch or are able to do is age, not sex.

    • Lolo-ology says:

      Wholeheartedly agree. It’s also dangerous as that perspective tends to spill over into other realms, limiting their exposure to things like science and math, stunting the range of educational and potential career interests available to them.

    • TheOriginalKitten says:

      THIS! Thank you for pointing that out.

    • Tiffany :) says:

      I agree with you 1000000%, Gigi! Well said!

  6. Faye says:

    LOL at him not looking in a mirror. Well, he’s a man in Hollywood so he doesn’t need to.

    My issues with his “past” aside, I am so sick of him (and to a lesser extent his brother Donnie) whining about their childhood. They act like they grew up in the slums of Calcutta. I saw a few minutes of one of the episodes of “Wahlburgers” where they were talking about how-gasp, the horror!-they actually had to eat leftovers some nights of the week. They had a ton of kids and I’m sure money was tight, but they were working class, not homeless. Get over it.

  7. feebee says:

    I think he’s the kind of dad that his daughter’s boyfriends will maybe have a genuine reason to be scared of…. none of this fake bluster about a shotgun by the door yada yada.

    He made some honest points but I gotta be honest, sometimes it’s better not to say too much. Not looking in a mirror because you have nothing to prove may sound great to him but it just reinforces the point that he’s not a woman and so generally has an easier time in that department. Talk about double standards – though it’s clear he doesn’t have a problem with the ones he applies at home. Better watch that great relationship you have with her Marky Mark, one day, if not already (I don’t know how old she is) she’ll realize what she’s been noticing all these years and it might not be pretty.

    I might be wrong but it read to me like he wanted us to think he was being virtuous (if that’s the right word) about embracing ‘playing older’. The bit about being producer was “nice”. I have a bit of that ‘if I don’t do it, it won’t get done/the way I want it done’ sometimes too. I also recognize the carrots for some, stick for others but given his history I really hope the crack the head open was a joke. Print is hard.

  8. Kiddo says:

    Meh. To me, he wasn’t attractive 10 years ago, so nothing has changed.

    • Esmom says:

      Agree on his unattractiveness although I disagree that nothing’s changed, inside and out. The man seems not to have grown or evolved as a human, as much as he’s like us to believe he has.

      • Kiddo says:

        Esmom, since you said that he hasn’t grown or evolved, nothing has changed. Same ol’ same ol’. In terms of attractiveness, from my perspective, it is the complete package. If someone is good looking (which I don’t consider him), but a complete douche, I find them less appealing. If someone is funny, kind, gentle or a host of other attributes, even if they don’t meet the standard criteria of what society finds appealing physically, I might find them enormously attractive. Wahlberg hits none of the notes physically or personality-wise, for me. I will only watch movies he is in if he isn’t the headliner and if someone else who interests me is in the film. He most definitely is not a ‘draw’ for me, in fact, he is a complete turn off.

      • Esmom says:

        Ha, now that you say that, you’re right. I guess I see that was seeing his non-evolution as a decline but it really is just stagnation. In any case, he’s a complete turn off for me, too.

  9. TG says:

    I never heard about him beating a man so bad the guy is blind in one eye but it fits with the vibes that radiate from him. I also have zero respect for a mother who would allow such double standards in her home. I can’t stand dumb submissive women. Yuck. Marky Mark is an epic douche.

    • starfan says:

      “Wahlberg approached a middle-aged Vietnamese man on the street and, using a large wooden stick, knocked him unconscious while yelling a racial epithet. That same day, he also attacked another Vietnamese man, leaving the victim permanently blind in one eye.”

      • TG says:

        Wow! Thanks for this. How awful. Did he go to jail? What were the repurcussions? Obviously it didn’t hurt his career. I am going to Google this to find out. I believe people can change and grow and learn from their experiences but part of that is if you hurt someone and were a bad destructive person you need to acknowledge that. Reminds me of the Lance Armstrong post from yesterday. He still doesn’t get why people hate him.

      • Faye says:

        @TG -He did go to jail, for a relatively brief period of time. No financial settlements since he didn’t have money at the time. After he got out, his brother Donnie got him into the music business as “Marky Mark” to keep him out of trouble.

        The blinding incident came at the tail end of a lot of thuggery and racist behavior, including chasing and taunting young African American children in the park.

        When asked about the blinding incident in a Lara Logan 60 Minutes interview, he said he didn’t think about it or even feel bad about it anymore since he did his jail time. Interesting attitude for a self proclaimed Christian. No financial payouts to the victim (who is permanently blinded), not even an apology.

  10. Adrien says:

    He just have to look at pictures of himself in magazines. Eh, Marky Mark! You look like that gym buff who keeps checking his abs and biceps in the mirror. You are that character you played in Date Night.

  11. TeresaMaria says:

    I think you read too much into it. He just expressed his views on some parenting angles and maybe his choice of words did not come through so well. But I do tend to think he is a decent father and takes his acting as a job where his looks is not anymore his most valuable asset.

    • qwerty says:

      His choice of words is not the rason, he’s an idiot and it shows in every interview he gives.

  12. poppy says:

    oh he looks. he has always cared about his appearance.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      Yeah, that was a load of bull.

    • FingerBinger says:

      A guy that used to model underwear and who constantly walked around topless will always care about his appearance.

    • word says:

      Have you seen his wife? She looks like a super model (maybe she is one, I don’t know). I wonder if his wife decided not to “care” about her appearance anymore, how he’d feel about that?

  13. Anon says:

    The whole comment about aging is B.S. He has had at least an eye job, if not more work done to his face. It has settled a bit now, but around the time when he was in the movie ‘Date Night’ with Steve Carrell and Tina Fey his face looked majorly tweaked. That’s the kind of stuff that drives me nuts. Successful actors are paid a lot, often because they are attractive. While our society should clearly put more value on other attributes, I think as someone who has capitalized on their appearance since childhood, it is natural for you to fear your looks will go and you won’t have any more work or fans. But either own it, or make your comments more vague. The flat out lies are just silly.

  14. starfan says:

    This guy is Mel Gibson 2.0. Google his past & you will see. He is a homophobe, sexist, violent, & a racist. I never watch his movies any more after finding out his views. YUCK!

  15. Savanna says:

    Ugh the parenting double standard is insane. I come from a household where both parents work but my mom makes a lot more – and my parents see themselves as true partners. I’m 21 and home from college for the summer. My 18 year old brother does literally whatever he wants and my dad doesn’t ask any questions (my mom is actually a stepmom, so she lets my dad take the lead on most parenting stuff). He even told me he hooked up with a 22 year old one night, and told my dad he was with his friends. Meanwhile, my patents won’t let me have my boyfriend in my room, even with the door open. My brother is doing god-knows-what with god-knows-who, but my parents won’t let the person they know in my room. It’s BS.

    • word says:

      Most parents are more strict with their daughters because they don’t trust how other people raised their sons. They think they did a good job raising their own son though. The world is stupid.

  16. roz says:

    Okay but… SPOILERS

    In Transformers he gives this speech to his daughter about how he was going to get her to her high school graduation. That it was a promise he made to her mother because on the day of HIS graduation they were busy because she was being born.

    The movie was horrible but that’s what I walked out of the theater thinking. Marky Mark as a 35 or 36 year old robotics inventor genius. I’ll buy alien robots but not that. So his “wow look at my lack of vanity” schtick doesn’t ring true to me because that speech was specifically designed to de-age him by 8 years.”Oh yes he has a teen daughter but he was a teen dad himself so…” The vanity of men.

  17. FingerBinger says:

    I’ve always been baffled at how Marky Mark became such a huge movie star.

  18. pnichols says:

    he shouldn’t bother looking, he’s still only 5 feet tall.

  19. HadleyB says:

    I have no doubt he would still to this day beat a guy to a pulp if given the chance and might still if he was ever really provoked.

    He has a huge entourage so he probably doesn’t get provoked too much or they step in if things get heated. Mark for sure has that violence about him that is just a part of him no matter how famous or wealthy he is.

  20. Word Girl says:

    Yeah, this dude is pretty violent. I know he was exposed to a lot because of being in a hit boy band group and having the burden to support his family when he was young, but I sure as hell bet that that dude has always been and will always be a bully. That’s why childhood bullying needs to be stamped out because a lot of childhood bullies do grow up and become very successful adult bullies, who treat their employees like crap.

    As a side note, I used to work in a building where an adult , female bully worker. I used to work night shift (In a totally different department) and I would always here how this lady used to intimidate the other women on the job, threatening to get them fired because she had some pretty good connections. She got one lady so worked up one day that she started having a heart attack. They had to call the ambulance to come and pick her up. This bully had to be in her late 40’s early 50’s. Some people will always be that way.

  21. ncboudicca says:

    He doesn’t even look in the mirror to adjust his hair piece?

  22. Jayna says:

    Hasn’t looked in a mirror in ten years. LOL

  23. serena says:

    I think he changed and turned his life around pretty well, also, I’m not bothered when he talks about his daughter in that old-fashion way.. I think it’s cute (at least for now).

  24. nk868 says:

    he has been on record taking accountability and recognizing that everything he did was his choice.. i think that’s the difference between him and a lot of people who were violent but want to play the victim (chris brown). check his early life on wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Wahlberg#Early_life

  25. Debutante says:

    This douchebag is SUCH a big PHONY it is unreal. I love the way he is so into going to church now and raising his “little girls”. Sure, that’s because he knows there are A**holes like him out there he has to protect them from !
    And as someone commented earlier, YES, he did beat someone so badly as a teenager, he left a man blind in one eye. It is true.
    I wonder if he ever made reparations of any kind to that poor man after he became wealthy. He did go to jail for the crime.

  26. Fatty Magoo says:

    I feel like if he would have had the young girl play his girlfriend instead of his daughter people would have still been complaining. I like that he decided to play it like that instead. And I know people are like “well actresses don’t get those opportunities” etc. but that isn’t his fault and that doesn’t have anything to do with his movie. You can dislike him for a lot of stuff but I’m not going to give him crap for something he can’t control and isn’t his fault.