Putting on the pounds
has a famously punishing physical routine that has kept the 50-year-old in enviable shape. But for his latest outing, Father Stu, he had to ditch the training and eat. A lot.
“Porterhouse steaks, baked potatoes, a dozen eggs every morning, a dozen pieces of bacon, two bowls of white rice, a glass of olive oil,“he tells AFP.
“Lots of high protein for the first two weeks; second two weeks, we had lots of starch. And then the last two weeks, we had lots of sodium to kind of get the bloating effect, but not fun at all.”
The physical transformation from taut athlete to out-of-shape and overweight was in aid of his role as Stuart Long, an amateur boxer who hangs up his gloves after an injury and moves to Hollywood to become an actor.
Long then meets Carmen, played by Teresa Ruiz (”Narcos”), and sets out to win her heart by going to her church.
He then decides he will become a priest, despite the scepticism of his parents, played by Jacki Weaver and Mel Gibson.
He must also face his biggest challenge: a diagnosis of a degenerative disease that will rob him of the use of his body.
For Wahlberg, who also produced the movie, the real-life story of Father Stu is a departure from previous action outings like Mile 22 and Uncharted – but, he insists, not unexpected.
“It’s an unusual role, but it’s also (a) pretty obvious choice if you kind of know me and my own personal journey and what I’m looking to do as I get older and try to find things that have a little bit more meaning and purpose,“he told