Mark Wahlberg is certainly one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars. His star power and charisma can boost any movie and his huge fan following creates immense hype for any film that he’s a part of. He has been part of many commercially successful films and thus he is paid the big bucks for his participation in those films.
However, not all films can solely succeed on star power as large audiences need to buy tickets to watch the films in theatres so that they can be deemed commercially successful. In 2017, Wahlberg’s was among Forbes’ list of the most overpaid actors in Hollywood and the outlet makes a compelling case for his placement on the list.
Mark Wahlberg Was The Most Overpaid Actor Of 2017 According to Forbes
Mark Wahlberg is undoubtedly one of Hollywood’s biggest names with significant star power that can bring audiences to watch his films whenever they come out. He has been part of many commercially successful films and is also a very versatile actor who can excel in various genres. However, not all of his films were commercially successful even though the films were critically well-received.
Wahlberg topped Forbes‘ list of Hollywood’s most overpaid actors of 2017. The reason was mainly due to the excessive salary he got in 2017 compared with the dismal box-office returns of his last two films. According to the outlet, he earned a whopping $68 million in 2017 even after his last two films were box office duds.
Wahlberg’s 2016 film Patriots Day grossed only $52 million against a $45 million budget (according to Box Office Mojo), less than what he was paid in 2017. His film before that which was Deepwater Horizon managed to earn only $121 million against a $110 million budget. (according to Box Office Mojo)
Even after these back-to-back flops, Wahlberg continued to be paid a hefty paycheck in 2017 and thus topped the list of the most overpaid actors. The article makes a compelling case for placing the actor in this list which also includes other actors like Christian Bale, Denzel Washington, and Brad Pitt.
Mark Wahlberg’s Weight Gain for Father Stu Took a Toll On His Body
Mark Wahlberg starred in the biographical drama Father Stu where he played the real-life boxer-turned-priest Stuart Long. For the role, he had to gain significant weight (over 30 pounds) and he revealed to Entertainment Weekly that this intense weight gain took a toll on his body. He said,
“I put on 30 pounds and went from being a guy who was in fighting shape to a guy who was wheelchair-bound, suffering from a rare muscular degenerative disease. I was just turning 50 by the time we finished the movie, and I was eating 11,000 calories a day. That drastic weight gain really took a toll on me over the course of the last seven, eight months.”
Wahlberg was fully dedicated to the role as he maintained a lean physique as a boxer for the early portions of the film and later gained significant weight when his character spent his entire life in a wheelchair. His performance was also praised by critics and the film was a success at the box office.
