As a practicing Catholic, actor Mark Wahlberg (supposedly!) turned to his priest, the Rev. James Flavin, for career advice, and that is why he turned down a lead in Brokeback Mountain, ’cause of all that gay stuff. (Unanswered: Was Mark to play the top or bottom?!) It also means you have Jesus Christ to blame for Mark appearing in The Happening, which, really, should be added to the list of sins. The look on Mark’s face? That’s him wondering how the hell Flavin let him take this job.
Gay Marriage Now
So instead of making a movie about Love (Brokeback), this Catholic and his priest choose violence and murder instead. Makes sense.
Nick
Aw… I liked I <3 huckabees! And, Boogey Nights is classic. His priest encourage him to play a porn star with a huge cock?
Rashid
The Catholic Church condones playing coke-sniffing 10-inch cock porn stars. Great. A man in love with another man? Hell no.
SSCHIEFRSHA
@Nick: I adore “I Heart Huckabees” too! He was brilliant in it and remains his only film I’ve seen.
Aaron Rowland
As much as I’d like to believe Mark Wahlberg when he claims he isn’t homophobic, I just can’t. His history, combined with the awkwardness he demonstrates whenever LGBT theme or issues come up, it’s just not credible.
It’s really a shame. You think someone who grew to international fame by taking off his already sagging pants would be comfortable with his sexuality and with being admired by all types of individual.
I guess he just felt the needs to substitute the homophobic thuggery of the streets with the homophobic thuggery of the church. Too often those who “reform” through the church, take its doctrine a little too seriously.
Boogie Nights is still a classic, though. He can’t take that away from me.
Cam
THANK YOU to all the posters who pointed out that apparently his priest had no problem with him playing a murderer, or a violent drug addicted porn star but didn’t want him to do a movie like Brokeback Mountain that had no nudity and basically no violence. Nice to see his priest show what the church is really about.
Oh, and to Mr. Walberg, nice f-ing choice…All the actors associated with that movie are now looked at as much more talented and able to shoulder a heavy acting lift then they were before in addition to the awards they won, how did making “The Happening” work out for you?
tavdy79
I’d just like to thank Rev. Flavin – because I can’t imagine Wahlberg playing either Ennis or Jack anything like as convincingly as Ledger & Gyllenhaal did.
David Ehrenstein
@Aaron Rowland: He wasn’t homophobic when he was posing for Calvin Klein or stripping at gay clubs.
nikko
Great comments, especially #1 and #3. So true.
tjr101
I grew up Catholic with a long family tradition in the church. Thank goodness I can now think for myself and see how screwed up the church and it’s followers are.
scott ny'er
i STILL can’t believe Marky Marky has an acting CAREER! And on top of that he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Ksyxx
Not to play Devils… er Catholic’s Advocate here, but you guys are way off base. 1- Boogie Nights came out 8 years before Brokeback did. The story wasn’t even adapted into a movie till two years before. So, it wasn’t much of an either-or on that decision. On top of that, despite the ho-yay, the movie wasn’t even that good. And that was up for best picture, not any specific acting… hell both male leads got more acting praise playing nutjobs (Jake- Donnie Dark, Heath- The Joker) than playing Bi Cowboys.
2- This is based on an article from the effing Enquirer, like they are known for their accuracy and legitimate journalism skills.
3- The Happening sucked, not so much because of Mark (or Jesus -_-), but because of M. Night and his ego.
Cam
No. 12 · Ksyxx
Not to play Devils… er Catholic’s Advocate here, but you guys are way off base. 1- Boogie Nights came out 8 years before Brokeback did. The story wasn’t even adapted into a movie till two years before. So, it wasn’t much of an either-or on that decision.
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Hi Ksyxx,
the either/or wasn’t doing one movie that that time or another, it was referring to the fact that his priest thought a movie where he played a coked up murderous porn star was ok, but playing a conflicted homosexual in a movie with little to no violence and nudity wasn’t. It was a comparison of the Priests values.
Ksyxx
@Cam:
Considering how young Mark still was when he did Boogie Nights, and that there is no verification as to if Mark was even a practicing Catholic at the time, it’s only an assumption the Priest’s influence had anything to do with him taking the role. All the movie the article references were released in the 2000s, so there is still an the gap where Mark could’ve been making his own decisions.
Cam
No. 14 · Ksyxx said…
@Cam:
Considering how young Mark still was when he did Boogie Nights, and that there is no verification as to if Mark was even a practicing Catholic at the time, it’s only an assumption the Priest’s influence had anything to do with him taking the role. All the movie the article references were released in the 2000s, so there is still an the gap where Mark could’ve been making his own decisions.
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Just which article were you reading? The one linked to had this passage right here…
“Mark met the pastor when the actor was a 15-year-old Boston street thug, selling drugs, stealing cars and doing hard time in jail for assault. He credits the priest and his probation officers with helping him turn around his life.”
So he has been part of his life since he was 15 years old. So once again, this demonstrates that violnce, murder, and drug use are fine by this priest.
Ksyxx
@Cam: Knowing a priest doesn’t make you a Catholic. Listening to a priest along the lines of making sure your ass doesn’t get thrown back into jack, still doesn’t make you Catholic. Neither are that unusual for urban hoods, and there is still no set point as to when he actually became Catholic…
So given the article’s source (even Queerty coded it with “supposedly”) and Mark’s history (jail time at a young age… looking like he did…) can you see how the cowboy love scenes may have been a bit ‘uncomfortable’ for him to portray -least of all w/ Joaquin Phoenix.
Cam
@No. 16 · Ksyxx
Wow, you’re really stretching aren’t you? First you say that the article doesn’t say he knew the preist when he was younger, then when I point out that it says he has known him since he was 15 and credits him with turning his life around you sputter and say “That doesn’t mean he was a catholic!!” Your agenda seems to be showing.
Nazi Pope
Hmmm. Fifteen year old boy. Priest.
You do the math.
Clark J.
This piece of dirt with NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO talent (the LEAST talented person in Hollywood who always plays a douchebag. Different shades of douchebag with different character names) is the biggest homophobe in the Hollywood scene and no one can stand his lame 90s broke DOWN ass. Go back to rapping about asses you hack. You can’t act worth shyeeet.
Ogre Magi
He is just another sad victim of Christianity!
alan brickman
No wonder Mark is so fucked up….had to “audition” for all those priests….bottoms up!!…
LoveMoby
He wont play a gay man in love but will stick with the Catholic Church whose priests have been molesting children for years and covering it up?
Talk about screwed up priorities.
Bisexual Vampire
Mark Wahlberg is a real masculine man.
ron
@Bisexual Vampire:
You wouldn’t know a real man until he came up behind you, pulled your lace panties down, and fucked you.