I honestly never knew much about Mark Wahlberg, except the vaguest sketch of how he came into prominence in the first place, and how he became a huge actor, ultimately. He was Markie-Mark, famous for underwear ads. Then he tried his hand at a music career, but that was largely a no go. Then, he made it into acting.
And boy, did he ever make it!
He became one of the most successful actors of the past two decades or so, although he seemed to me often to play the same role.
Nevertheless, he was successful. He seemed to pop out of nowhere to enjoy an enchanted life of fame and fortune.
Only, of course in real life, nobody really pops out of nowhere, right? This is a man with a past, although most of us knew very little about it. He was from the Boston area, and was brother to Donnie Walhberg, who was in the pop band, New Kids on the Block.
That was about all that I knew and, I am just guessing here, but likely as much as most people knew about him, too. Did you know more?
Well, I recently stumbled onto some more about him, ironically, while actually searching for something else entirely. It was related to something about Trump, that much I remember, and it seemed a bit puzzling at first. Why would Wahlberg come up in a search about Trump and all of the hatred that seems to be prevailing in the United States right now? I mean, Wahlberg is buddies with some well-known actors, many of whom seem actually quite intelligent and insightful, and are no fans of Trump. So, surely, that meant that Wahlberg surely was more enlightened, too, right?
Maybe. But ti turns out that Wahlberg played golf with Trump once, and that he did not see the election of Trump as the surest sign yet of a serious deterioration in national values and standards. It also turns out that Wahlberg himself has quite a dark past in terms of things that he himself did to immigrants back in his more youthful days. We are talking physical violence and threats, here. Serious stuff, in other words.
So, while his seemingly friendly face has become a familiar, and for many a comforting, image in recent years, that warm smile might be hiding a sinister side. Perhaps a long buried one, or perhaps one still just underneath the surface. Who knew?
Read the story for yourself. It is a fascinating one. If you are like me, there is a good chance that you will never see a Wahlberg movie in quite the same way.
Maybe. But ti turns out that Wahlberg played golf with Trump once, and that he did not see the election of Trump as the surest sign yet of a serious deterioration in national values and standards. It also turns out that Wahlberg himself has quite a dark past in terms of things that he himself did to immigrants back in his more youthful days. We are talking physical violence and threats, here. Serious stuff, in other words.
So, while his seemingly friendly face has become a familiar, and for many a comforting, image in recent years, that warm smile might be hiding a sinister side. Perhaps a long buried one, or perhaps one still just underneath the surface. Who knew?
Read the story for yourself. It is a fascinating one. If you are like me, there is a good chance that you will never see a Wahlberg movie in quite the same way.
The reconciliation of Mark Wahlberg Global Nation PRI's by Phillip Martin, The World PRI's The World, January 12, 2017:
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