Mark Wahlberg - Bad Actor or Bad at Picking Films?

The frenzy surrounding a flippant remark Mark Wahlberg made about wanting to play Iron Man has safely died down after only one short month. While the public was blinded with rage, it could be forgiven for ignoring the two films he had released: 2 Guns and Pain and Gain. According to reviewers, these two films are actually pretty good. This must come as quite a relief to Mark as he’s not always the best at picking films. On the one hand, Wahlberg has critically acclaimed work (Boogie Nights, The Fighter) but on the other, he has some giant flops (Max Payne, Planet of the Apes). How is it that Mark Wahlberg can pick up an Academy Award nomination one year and a Razzie the next?

At first glance, you might think this anomaly is unique to Mark Wahlberg.  However, a glance at other actors’ resumes shows differently.  Ben Affleck’s IMDB page lists outstanding films: Argo, Good Will Hunting and Hollywoodland. These successes stand alongside Gigli, Jersey Girl and Armageddon – which, to be polite, are abysmal. Indeed, weaker men with these films on their consciences would have got out of the acting gig long ago. Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino aren’t immune to this see-saw of quality films, either. These accomplished actors gave us masterpieces such as Taxi Driver, The Godfather and Serpico.  They also had a hand in the less than stellar Meet the Fockers and Jack and Jill. As mind boggling as this may seem, bad films are really all part of the job.

Something that people often seem to forget due to all the glitz and glamour is that acting is a job. Regardless of the distracting high profile actors receive, these men and women are still just working. Admittedly, it’s a very strange kind of work but it’s work nonetheless. A staggering amount of energy is put into discussing acting as an art form which disguises the fact that, when it comes right down to it, actors are humans pretending to be someone else in front of a recording device for money. The difference between getting a job or not is the difference between eating or not. When seen this way, the varying quality of films we see in an actor’s career makes complete sense. Not many of us have a really fun job that earns us lots of money.  Many of us have worked in bad jobs just because we needed to pay for things. Alternatively, many of us have started a job that we thought would be good but quickly turned into a living nightmare. This is the situation actors find themselves in every time they turn up to a new project.

Mark Wahlberg isn’t really an anomaly: he’s down right pedestrian. Look at a cross-section of actors and you’ll find the exact same story repeated. While you might feel this takes away some of the mystique surrounding acting, it also makes it a more relatable career. By looking at actors this way, it’s hard to get all het up over their film choices. In the end, they’re just people trying to make a living with what skills they’ve got. So, the next time Mark Wahlberg – or any actor, for that matter – makes a flop, just remember that they’re probably just trying to pay their bills. Or, in Mark Wahlberg’s case, pay off the Funky Bunch. One or the other.  

P.S - At first glance, you might think writing about Mark Wahlberg is a Max Payne as it’s  always Happening.  I swear it won’t happen for a few weeks.

Featured Image: 20th Century Fox