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He’s in church every morning (or twice on Sundays) and hitting the gym every day. He stays well out of the LA scene and looks to keep his kids even farther away. He lists his family, faith and charity work above his acting career as the most important and rewarding parts of his life. All totaled, there may be a no “less-Hollywood” Hollywood leading man than Mark Wahlberg.
First stepping onto the world’s entertainment stage as a brief, but founding member of New Kids on the Block (en route to heading up his chart-topping Funky Bunch in the early 1990s), Wahlberg emerged as a rare cinematic attraction. Able to head up and sell tickets for everything from award-winning dramas (The Departed and Boogie Nights) to big budget thrillers (The Transformers franchise and Deepwater Horizon) to comedy (Date Night and Ted ), there are few cross-genre stars as bankable as Wahlberg. there are few cross-genre stars as bankable as Wahlberg. And now, he’s fresh off the release of Balls Up, a Prime comedy about a pair of marketers who pitch a condom sponsorship for the World Cup that goes awry.
With his box office history and worldwide notoriety, the stereotypical chaos of a movie star’s life waited patiently at the now-55-year-old’s expensive sneakers. Any ingenue or Playboy playmate breathing on planet Earth would’ve considered chasing between party rendezvous with a star of Wahlberg’s stature and bank balance, but he balked willingly.
“I have no problem with anyone wanting that kind of lifestyle, but it isn’t for me,” Wahlberg says while warming up on the driving range of the Bahamas’ Royal Blue Golf course. “I like having a family. I like going to church. I like playing golf. That movie star life most people imagine was always there, but maybe it was growing up working class in Boston. It never seemed right for me.”
A denizen of Beverly Hills while he built his movie success, Wahlberg eventually moved his family (with wife Rhea Durham and their four children) to Nevada just outside Las Vegas. It’s a statement to how difficult it can be to raise healthy kids in upscale Los Angeles if Sin City is a more attractive option.
“There are a lot of ways (young people) can run into trouble in LA,” Wahlberg explained. “We found parenting safer and more manageable (in Vegas).”
A product of Dorchester, Boston’s most ethnically diverse and divided neighborhood, Wahlberg grew up as one of nine children splitting time between divorced parents. It’s clear the potential pitfalls and chaos of such an upbringing later combined with the unrelenting hustle of a major Hollywood career led him to more peaceful personal habits.
“I go to church. I do my training everyday. I try to play golf every day I can. I spend time with my family, my kids. That keeps me centered. And, with my work, that’s more than enough.”
Amongst that simple set of daily priorities, Wahlberg rated the unlikely pursuit of a little white ball as his favorite athletic activity. It’s safe to say there aren’t legions of Boston street kids who grew up into scratch golfers – let alone guys who almost bypassed big screen superstardom for the PGA Tour.
“It’s absolutely the only sport I’m interested in playing, and I considered taking it up competitively as my career,” Wahlberg says. “Back then I didn’t realize how hard it was and what a grind that would be. Now (golf) is where I get centered and ready for the day. But, it’s not an escape. It takes a toll on your body. I have back issues, shoulder issues, hand issues. So, It’s not really something I would do recreationally to recover from working. Maybe it’s a recovery for the mind, though.”
In rattling off his personal passions, Wahlberg left out his philanthropy. Since 2001, he put his name and the power of his celebrity behind the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation to raise funds, resources and awareness for far-flung underprivileged youth enrichment programs. The biggest event on his fundraising calendar falls back on his love of golf.
The annual Mark Wahlberg Celebrity Invitational settles in annually at Baha Mar – the top resort complex of Nassau with its triple threat Grand Hyatt, SLS and Rosewood hotels. A mix of entertainment and sports stars ranging from Wayne Gretzky and Roger Clemens to Bode Miller and Brooks Koepka helped raised more than $1 million for kids in need at the most recent event.
In addition to gathering the money, the foundation staff works for months to provide a Baha Mar-worthy experience for the big name attendees. The last Invitational included an elaborate private auction of signed collectibles and packaged experiences before wrapping up with a surprise concert from Boys II Men. For his part, the man with his name in the title makes sure to oversee the charity operation to direct the funds where they’re most needed.
A man in Wahlberg’s cultural and financial position can choose from any number of charity causes to champion, and he chose disadvantaged young people because of his own struggles and missteps as a juvenile. He ran afoul of the law multiple times culminating as a teen in 1988 when he was charged with the attempted murder of a Vietnamese-American man in a racially-motivated assault. He would eventually be sentenced to three months in jail at the age of 16.
A more mature Wahlberg would later meet with the victim and apologize for his actions as a youth, and the man forgave the actor for past deeds. Still, Wahlberg’s faith and charity work continue his atonement and commitment to a better path for him, his kids and the countless young people his foundation can reach.
“I made my mistakes when I was a kid, and I’ve been open about all of that,” he explains. “If I can help young people out there now who might face a tough upbringing or need the guidance and opportunities that I didn’t have, I want to contribute to that.”