“They said ‘absolutely not'” : Studio Rejected Mark Wahlberg’s Request to Honor His Korean War Veteran Dad by Keeping a Mustache
Mark Wahlberg brought the character of Victor “Sully” Sullivan to life in Uncharted, a film based on the video game franchise of the same name. While Sully flaunted his iconic mustache in the games, Mark Wahlberg’s portrayal didn’t let him do so. He only got to rock the facial hair in one of the post-credit scenes of the film.
However, Mark Wahlberg kept the mustache even after the filming had wrapped up and even wanted to continue the look for his next movie. Unfortunately, the filmmaker he was collaborating with for the film didn’t think it was the best idea. In fact, his wife was not a fan of the mustache either. As for Mark Wahlberg, he had a pretty emotional reason as to why he loved that mustache and it has something to do with his father who was a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War.
The Sentimental Reason behind Mark Wahlberg’s Mustache
Last year, Mark Wahlberg paid a visit to Jimmy Kimmel on his talk show where he opened up about his mustache and the reactions of those around him. When Kimmel joked if it was a Valentine’s Day gift for his wife, Wahlberg said, “My wife does not like the mustache.” He then talked about how he wanted to keep the facial hair for his next film and how the idea was turned down by the director.
“Actually, I play Sully in the movie which is a long story I’ll tell you later. So I had the mustache for that, I wore it in the last movie. I tried to convince the filmmaker that I’m working with next to wear this mustache. They said ‘Absolutely not.’ So after the movie premieres, I am going to shave it off and then hopefully I’ll be able to sleep in my room again.”
After joking about how his wife’s dislike for the mustache gave him some quiet time, Wahlberg shared the heartwarming story behind why he loved having the mustache.
“It really was for sentimental reasons. When I first wore the mustache, my sister and all my siblings said, ‘Oh my God, you look so much like dad, which was a big compliment. So I’m wearing it in honor of him as well.”
Wahlberg’s father, Donald Wahlberg was a delivery driver and even served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He passed away in 2008 around the age of 77.
Mark Wahlberg Talks About His Father
Wahlberg opened up about his relationship with his father to Esquire, back in 2014. He stated that despite the fact that his parents had divorced when he was young, his relationship with his dad wasn’t stained. He remembers going to work with him in his truck to do deliveries.
“My dad was the best, though my parents divorced when I was ten or eleven. I was pretty young. It was pretty hard. I was close to my dad because I was the youngest, so even before I was in school I was spending time with my dad. I would go to work with him when he drove his truck and delivered to all the schools.”
Wahlberg himself is a dad to four kids, however, his father only got to meet his first two children, Ella and Michael. Since Wahlberg’s father used to call him Mike when he was younger, it was the inspiration behind naming his first son the same. Wahlberg recalled that when he told his dad about this, “he got a big smile on his face.” Unfortunately, his father passed away when the couple was expecting their third child.
Looking at the way Wahlberg speaks so highly of his father, one can say without any doubt just how much he loves and respects him.
Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live
