Mark Wahlberg is one of the most successful actors in Hollywood. Having starred in a wide range of films, from comedies to dramas to action movies, he has also won numerous awards, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. However, Wahlberg’s past is not as clean-cut as his present. In his early life, he was involved in a number of criminal activities, including assault and battery. In fact, the actor was even convicted of attempted murder and served time in prison.
And since then, Wahlberg has apologized for his past actions on numerous occasions and has spoken out about the importance of redemption. He has also become a successful businessman, with his own production company and a number of other ventures.
Mark Wahlberg opened up on his childhood nightmare
Mark Wahlberg was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, on June 5, 1971, and was the youngest of nine children. As revealed by Wahlberg himself his father was a bus driver, and his mother worked as a bank clerk and his family had a tough time making ends meet. During his conversation with The Guardian, Wahlberg revealed how he was bullied by his older brothers and witnessed violence whenever he walked out of his door.
Initially, at the age of 13, Wahlberg came across an opportunity to join his brother Donnie in a globally successful New Kids on the Block band. However, due to his addiction to drugs and trouble with the police, he left the gig within months.
“I was always in trouble, and I was kind of little. In the circumstances where I was being preyed upon, at times, I had to protect and defend myself. It’s not an easy thing to navigate as a teenage kid who’s 5ft 2in, 120lb, with grown men.”
Over the years, the Transformers actor has spoken openly about his troubled childhood and has mentioned that he was a product of his environment. Moreover, he shared that he was surrounded by violence and drugs at a young age and was grateful for the second chance that he got in life.
Mark Wahlberg explained why no one should be judged based on where they come from
During the conversation, Wahlberg mentioned that he believes everyone deserves a second chance. He said that he could have easily ended up in prison for a long time, but instead, he chose to change his life. And the road to it began by owning up to his mistakes, going against the grain, and doing the right thing.
“Certainly, I made a lot of terrible mistakes and I paid for those mistakes dearly… did the work. I took it upon myself to own up to my mistakes and go against the grain and not be a part of the gang anymore – to say that I was going to go and do my own thing. Which made it 10 times more difficult to walk from my home to the train station, to go to school, to go to work.”
Furthermore, Wahlberg added that people should not be judged based on their past mistakes. He said that everyone deserves the opportunity to change their lives.
“But I also prided myself on doing the right thing and turning my life around. Whether I found myself venturing off into Hollywood and a music career, or working a 9-to-5 job as a construction worker, whatever path I was going to take, I was going to do the right thing. So I think no, judging a person on what he’s doing and where he’s coming from and all those things, no, I would hope that people would be able to get a second chance in life.”
It’s true that Mark Wahlberg was once a troubled youth who made many mistakes and was even convicted of attempted murder. However, despite all odds, the Fear actor, after his release, turned his life around and achieved immense success and praise for his work through accolades like two Academy Awards, nine Prime Time Emmy Awards, and a BAFTA Award among many others.
Source: The Guardian
