Actor Mark Wahlberg had a few things to say about Hollywood privilege Tuesday night.
In a highly emotional Q&A session for the premiere of “Lone Survivor,” Wahlberg, sitting withMarcus Luttrell, the celebrated former Navy SEAL whom the highly anticipated film is based on, laid out the stark differences between what actors and soldiers go through.
Mark Wahlberg at Lone Survivor Premiere Rants Against Hollywood Privilege
Mark Wahlberg arrives at the 2013 AFI FEST premiere of “Lone Survivor” at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013 in Los Angeles. (AP/Jordan Strauss/Invision)
“For actors to sit there and talk about, ‘Oh I went to SEAL training,’ and I slept on the — I don’t give a f*** what you did. You don’t do what these guys did,” Wahlberg said after the “Lone Survivor” screening, according to The Wrap.
“For somebody to sit there and say my job was as difficult as somebody in the military’s. How f***ing dare you. While you sit in a makeup chair for two hours,” he continued.
Wahlberg’s comments came after statements widely attributed to Tom Cruise went viral, in which Cruise appeared to compare shooting movies on location to serving in Afghanistan with regard to being away from his daughter. Wahlberg didn’t name Cruise, and Cruise didn’t actually make the comparison: an attorney made the suggestion, and as TMZ later reported, Cruise said, “Oh come on.”
But Wahlberg made no bones about the fact that the effort behind filmmaking isn’t in the same universe as what soldiers have to endure.
“I don’t give a s*** if you get your a** busted. You get to go home at the end of the day. You get to go to your hotel room. You get to order f***ing chicken. Or your steak. Whatever the f*** it is,” he said.
Wahlberg then mentioned Luttrell by name, honoring his and all soldiers’ service to America, while placing what he himself does in stark contrast.
“I trained for four-and-a-half years, and I was ‘The Fighter’ and … f*** all that. It really means nothing,” Walberg said. “I love Marcus for what he’s done, and I’m a very lucky guy to do what I do, and I’m proud to have been part of it, but it’s just so much bigger than what I do.”
Mark Wahlberg at Lone Survivor Premiere Rants Against Hollywood Privilege
From left, Peter Berg, Retired petty officer 1st class Marcus Luttrell and Mark Wahlberg arrive at the 2013 AFI FEST premiere of “Lone Survivor” at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013 in Los Angeles. (AP/Jordan Strauss/Invision)
If there was any endorsement of the job he and the other actors for “Lone Survivor,” Wahlberg said it was all about the details and making sure the film was authentic.
Director Peter Berg “would never let any one of us forget about what was important in the course of making the movie and whether it was Marcus or the other SEAL guys,” Wahlberg said.
“If they saw something that didn’t ring true, I don’t care if it was going to be the biggest stunt sequence in the movie, they would cut, call bulls***, and grab all of us by the f***ing back of the neck and say, ‘No, do it this way, and do it right and make it real,’ and if you don’t, it’s a problem. I was really proud to be a part of that.”
Here’s a partial clip of Wahlberg’s comments (Warning: potentially offensive language ahead…):
A more placid Wahlberg at the AFI event discussing the broader implications of “Lone Survivor,” particularly in regard to how freedom is appreciated:
This post has been updated to note that Tom Cruise did not actually make the direct comparison to making movies to serving overseas.