Check out the recent copy of People Magazine, and there you will find the latest look for Mark Wahlberg. But, what made do a double take was the fact that this Mark Wahlberg had a bigger belly. Surprising as it certainly is to see the former "Marky Mark" without his lean, sexy physique, one is naturally inclined to flip through the pages to see just what's going on with this Hollywood star. At this point, I am feeling a little shocked because he has always been into fitness and I'm so used to seeing him in his Calvin Klein Ads. The magazine writeup goes on to explain that he actually added the weight for his portrayal of Irish prize fighter Mickey Ward in the upcoming movie, "The Fighter." In this film, Wahlberg plays the part of the famous boxer, highlighting is dramatic comeback from a three-year hiatus to win nine consecutive matches. The out-of-shape version of Marky Mark was for portraying Micky Ward before he got back into the ring.
The film is directed by David O. Russell, and will premier in November of this year. Russell also portrays Ward's relationship with his half-brother and also professional boxer, Dickie Eklund. Eklund is portrayed by Christian Bale (the role was first said to have cast Brad Pitt). I think the Wahlberg-Pitt combination would have been great but I'm just glad that they didn't replace Wahlberg.
A Little Background on Mark Wahlberg
A native of Massachusetts, Mark Wahlberg grew up the Boston neighborhood of Dorchester. He is the youngest of nine children. He was convicted of assault in his adolescence, which landed him a two-year prison sentence. Fortunately, he wound up getting out much sooner. His stay at the Deer Island House of Corrections in Boston was only a 45 day stint.
Mark Wahlberg caught his big break into showbiz at 20 years of age when he first came on the seen as "Marky Mark" of the rap group "Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch." Hence the nickname, Marky Mark. While I was doing my research for this article, I came across a video of the band's most popular song called, "Good Vibrations." At first, the title didn't ring a bell for me but as soon as I heard the chorus, I finally recognized it.
As a result of his exceptionally well-defined body being displayed in his music videos, Mark Wahlberg later landed a gig as a Calvin Klein underwear model. His ads were so successful that in 1992, the Calvin Klein billboards at Times Square in New York featured Mark exclusively. At times, he is seen in his Calvin Klein photos with famous supermodels as Kate Moss.
Finally, we all know Wahlberg as a very versatile and talented actor whose roles can range anywhere from a science teacher in "The Happening" (2008) to his tough guy roles in movies like "The Italian Job" (2003) and "Four Brothers" (2005). By far, my best Wahlberg movie was the Martin Scorsese directed film, "The Departed," for which he won the Best Supporting Actor award from the National Society of Film Critics.
As a producer, Mark Wahlberg has seen some success, too. Said to be a loose depiction of the star's beginning years during the start of his acting career, the hit show "Entourage" credits him as Executive Producer. He is played by Adrian Grenier as Vincent Chase in these series.
Together with his wife, Rhea Durham (yes, the hot, sexy model), and four children (with her) you will find Mark Wahlberg residing these days at his Beverly Hills home. (Married in 2009, they've actually been a couple since 2001).
Wahlberg's Training for The Fighter
After gaining some fat to look the part of the semi-retired "Irish" Micky Ward, Wahlberg eventually had to get back in shape for Ward's 2nd debut into the professional boxing arena. Not only did he have to look the part of the champion, he also had to really know how to fight like a boxer. Fortunately, Wahlberg already does boxing as a regular part of his fitness routine even before he started training for this role. While being considered to be cast as Ward, Wahlberg was asked what his fitness routine entailed. At that time, he had been working out two hours each morning for the past two years, and had every intention of doing so during the making of the film.
Perhaps other stars would not "get it" to the degree that Mark Wahlberg does. But for him, appearance alone wasn't enough. Being Wahlberg's favorite boxer EVER, portraying Micky Ward (a fellow native of Massachusetts himself) became a MISSION for him to study every intimate detail of the Irishman's fighting style, paying extra close attention to his signature left hook. WBO World welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao's couch gave boxing lessons to both Bale and Wahlberg through the famed "The Wild Card Boxing Club" at the Freddie Roach's Hollywood gym.
But the actors didn't stop there. They took their training a step further, studying PERSONALLY with Ward and Eklund! In this video, they train with Dick and Mick to learn directly from their real-life counterparts.
Mark Wahlberg even went so far as to BUILD a home gym for the SOLE PURPOSE of training for "The Fighter!" His gym will put our local big gyms to shame since it has a basketball court, a boxing ring, punching bags, a massage table, cardio machines, and enough weights to train an entire football team. After boxing training, he works out with weights, doing nonstop super-sets for up to 40 minutes - all while having a vest weighing 35 pounds strapped to his torso! In his Men's Health interview he reveals the muscle groups that he trains on each day of the week as follows: Monday is legs, biceps, and back. Tuesdays are for deltoids, triceps, and pecks. Then, he hits biceps and legs again on Wednesdays. Taking the next two days off, his workout resumes on Saturdays. For warming up, Mark jumps rope. He also performs some exercises on the Power Plate before his workouts.
