Mark Wahlberg Ate 11,000 Calories A Day To Prepare For New Movie

Mark Wahlberg describes how he transformed his body for his upcoming film Father Stu. Wahlberg is well-known for his action roles in such films as Transformers: Age of Extinction and The Last Knight, The Italian Job, and The Big Hit. He can currently be seen in the action-adventure romp Uncharted as Nathan Drake’s (Tom Holland) con-man sidekick and mentor Victor “Sully” Sullivan, a role that takes him across the world, battling armed mercenaries, in search of pirate treasure.

Although Wahlberg is no stranger to an explosive set-piece, he is also known to dial it back for comedies and character-driven stories such as in his upcoming film Father Stu. The story follows the true story of Stuart Long, a former boxer who nearly dies in a motorcycle accident. Diagnosed with inclusion body myositis, a degenerative muscle disease, Long decides to become a Catholic priest and ends up inspiring those around him. Wahlberg is joined by Mad Max star Mel Gibson as Long’s father, and Narcos‘ Teresa Ruiz as Carmen, a women who helps Long on his mission to become a priest. In Father Stu, Wahlberg looks totally different from his more typical action hero physique.

In a recent interview with ET, Mark Wahlberg details how he transformed his body for his upcoming biopic film, Father Stu. According to the actor, he needed to put on 30 pounds in six weeks to play the titular role, an experience he claims was not as easy as one might think. Read more of what Wahlberg had to say below.

“I started with 7,000 calories for the first two weeks and then 11,000 calories for the final four weeks. None of it was fun, except for the first meal was amazing, because I hadn’t eaten anything up until that point. But after that, when you’re already full and you have to eat again, and at my age it’s just not a healthy thing to do, to try to put on that kind of weight in that amount of time.”

Instead of using ice cream and pizza, Wahlberg explained that he tried to gain weight in a more healthy manner. He stuck to a regimented diet consisting of eggs, bacon, potatoes, rice, and olive oil adding, “The first two weeks were high proteins. The second two weeks were a lot of carbs. The last two weeks starches, and then sodium, just to kind of get as bloated as possible. So not a lot of fun.” Although the actor desired an increase in weight for the role, Wahlberg did not forgo his normal workout routine. He used his exercise sessions as a way to build up his appetite so he could get as hungry as possible. The actor would supplement his larger meals with weight-gainer shakes as well. Regardless, he lamented the process stating, “There’s nothing worse than when you’re full from the last meal and you have to eat again.“

Actors challenging themselves to transform their bodies is nothing new for an actor. Robert DeNiro famously got into excellent shape for the boxing scenes in the Martin Scorsese classic Raging Bull. He then put on weight for the scenes following LaMotta’s retirement. Christian Bale notoriously lost an incredible amount of weight for his indie film The Machinist where he got down to 120 pounds. Incredibly, Bale gained 100 pounds in six months so he could don the cape and cowl for Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins. Taking the time to commit to a body transformation when a role calls for it shows the caliber of an actor who is giving his all for their craft. Viewers can see Wahlberg’s new physique in Father Stuwhich hits theaters nationwide on April 13.

Source: ET

About The Author