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Mark Wahlberg is definitely not your typical Tinseltown hardman. Surely, he kicked off as Marky Mark (the hip-hop artist and briefs icon), but he quickly traded his glitzy moniker for legitimate performance talent. Throughout the decades, he demonstrated he could tackle it all. Take, for example, soul-stirring youth stories like The Basketball Diaries to high-octane thrillers such as The Italian Job and Shooter.
The silver-screen performer has collaborated with iconic filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese (The Departed) and even explored arthouse cinema (I Heart Huckabees). Yet, there’s much more to Wahlberg than blockbuster fame alone. As he rings in his 53rd birthday, let’s dig into five facts about him that might surprise even his biggest fans.
If you think Mark Wahlberg’s high school dropout days were permanent, then no. At age 41, he went back to school and earned his high school diploma in June 2013. What pushed him? His kids. “I didn’t want the kids saying, ‘You didn’t do it, so why do I need it?’” he explained to Fox News. “They are all wanting to do things in their future that require an education.”
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Wahlberg isn’t stopping there. He’s even thought about continuing his studies, maybe at USC, focusing on film. “I don’t want to become a veterinarian or anything,” the actor said, “I want to study things that further my career and broaden my horizon.” It’s never too late to learn, and Wahlberg’s example shows that.
Before he became a bankable movie star, Wahlberg had a rough start. His youth was far from picture-perfect. Growing up in Boston, he racked up 20 to 25 run-ins with the police during his teenage years. That’s not a small number. At just 13, he was already hooked on cocaine and other drugs. By 14, he’d dropped out of high school and never returned—although he got his GED later in life.
One incident that’s still talked about happened when he was 15. According to Boomsbeat, Wahlberg was sued for harassing African American kids, including throwing rocks and shouting racial slurs. A dark chapter, for sure. Since then, Wahlberg has apologized publicly multiple times and tried hard to set a better example today.
Mark Wahlberg can commit hate crimes, call African Americans the N-word while beating them up, call Asian Americans like Thanh Lam and Hoa Trinh “Vietnam f**king sh*t!” as he beat them unconscious with a stick, yet still be praised by white privileged media for being anti-racist.
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) June 7, 2020
Yep, Mark Wahlberg has a third nipple. Apparently, about one in 18 men shares this bonus feature, but Wahlberg kept it under wraps for years. Some of his films, like Rockstar, even airbrushed it out. But in Shooter, it’s front and center.
When asked about it in an interview with Australia’s Nova FM (as per Fox News), Wahlberg didn’t shy away. “That is correct,” he said. “Right below the other one. It’s actually the size of an infant’s nipple, it didn’t grow.” What’s even better? He has no plans to get rid of it. “I’ve come to embrace it,” he told Rolling Stone. “That thing is my prized possession.”
#ThingsPeopleShouldKnow
Mark Wahlberg has plenty of things to be ashamed of, but his third nipple isn’t one of them. pic.twitter.com/y1yZt77n7y— The Drama Club (@DramaClubPod) February 27, 2018
You might not associate Wahlberg with cricket, but he’s a big fan now. Since 2013, he’s been a co-owner of the Barbados Tridents, a team in the Caribbean Premier League. “I am a huge cricket fan now,” Wahlberg told Caribbean Journal at the time. “I’m excited to be a part of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League because I know cricket is huge in the Caribbean and a rich part of the region’s heritage.”
Tonight!!! Check out my @BIMTridents bringing @CPL cricket to Central Broward Stadium Florida. Get there & make some noise! #CPL16
— Mark Wahlberg (@markwahlberg) July 28, 2016
He clearly sees sports and entertainment as a powerful duo and believes the league will attract fans worldwide. It’s an unexpected but cool chapter in his story. Who knew the Boston tough guy would become a cricket enthusiast?
Mark Wahlberg is a late convert to cricket. He has his stakes in CPL’s team Barbados 🇧🇧 pic.twitter.com/hjLpCNrtH1
— 𝙆𝙖𝙨𝙝 (@Earthian07) July 1, 2019
On September 11, 2001, Wahlberg and some friends had tickets for American Airlines Flight 11, the very plane that tragically crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. But they made a last-minute decision to skip the flight and attend a film festival in Canada instead, eventually chartering a private plane. The narrow escape could have been fate. Interestingly, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane was also supposed to be on that same doomed flight.
Today, we honor those we lost on 9/11 and all the first responders, including civilians, who risked their lives to help their fellow citizens. Let’s try to remember that feeling of unity in our country during these difficult times. #UnitedWeStand #NeverForget 🕊🇺🇸❤️ pic.twitter.com/7fUun84t7X
— Mark Wahlberg (@markwahlberg) September 11, 2020
For more such stories, check out Hollywood News
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