Mark Wahlberg may be nearing the end of his acting career.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Boogie Nights star hinted that his retirement from acting may be coming sooner rather than later.
“Well, I’m certainly working harder now than ever,” Wahlberg said. “Certain businesses, you kind of build them, pass them on or you exit. 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 isn’t immediately stepping away from Hollywood, however. He told The Hollywood Reporter he’s interested in making his directorial debut and working with “some other great talents” sometime in the near future.
Mark Wahlberg: From the Funky Bunch to the Oscars
Wahlberg first gained notoriety in the 1990s when he formed the hip-hop group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. He began acting around the same time, his first starring role being in 1996’s Fear directed by James Foley.
Following the success of 1997’s Boogie Nights, Wahlberg’s stardom grew as he then appeared in films such as 1999’s Three Kings, 2000’s The Perfect Storm, 2001’s Planet of the Apes remake, and more. He earned his first Oscar nomination in 2007 for his performance in Martin Scorsese’s The Departed. The Fighter, which Wahlberg starred in and produced, was also nominated for Best Picture in 2011.
In recent years, Wahlberg has starred in 2021’s Infinite, 2022’s Uncharted, 2022’s Father Stu, and 2022’s Me Time. He’s also attached to upcoming titles such as Flight Risk, Arthur the King, The Union, The Family Plan, and The Six Billion Dollar Man.
Wahlberg has produced a number of other films he’s starred in along with The Fighter, including 2012’s Contraband, 2013’s Lone Survivor, 2016’s Deepwater Horizon, and 2018’s Mile 22.
“I started becoming a producer out of necessity,” Wahlberg said. “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.”