Since his initial days in the realm of Hollywood, Mark Wahlberg hasn’t shied away from putting his body through the wringer in order to bring perfection to every role he is assigned. From gaining an excessive amount of muscles to losing them, Wahlberg has done it all, however, one of his most distressing experiences had nothing to do with his body mass.
While putting on and losing weight was something the Pain & Gain Star had grown pretty accustomed to, removing his tattoos for 2010’s The Fighter was hellishly painful.
Mark Wahlberg Suffered Dreadful Pain for The Fighter
Getting his first tattoo at the mere age of 12, by the time Mark Wahlberg became a prominent Hollywood figure, his whole body was covered with several tattoos. But as he became more mature, due to professional and personal reasons, the actor eventually decided to get rid of all of them. Part of the reason why he was adamant about removing them was his commitment to The Fighter, starring Christian Bale, as he didn’t want to resort to covering the tattoos with makeup.
Considering Wahlberg was assigned the role of a struggling boxer, the actor was determined to get himself clean before the filming began, which involved laser treatment. But the pain of getting his tattoos gradually removed was excruciating even for someone like Wahlberg, and the process lasted around 5-7 years. Speaking to James Corden, Wahlberg revealed,
“It’s dreadfully painful. 1000% cause it’s like hot bacon grease getting flicked on you over and over again. Now hopefully they have developed technology more and more but when I got it done I was trying to get it done before I shot The Fighter and the dermatologist told me to 5-7 visits and it was like 5 to 7 years, and I went once a month.”
But experiencing the hellish pain did pay off, as The Fighter, starring him and Bale at the forefront, became a critical hit, earning 7 Academy Award nominations, taking two of them home,
Mark Wahlberg Wanted to Make Sure His Kids Don’t Ink Themselves
While his commitment to the craft was a major reason behind getting rid of his tattoos, another significant factor contributing to his decision was his kids. In order to prevent them from walking in his footsteps, Mark Wahlberg took his children to witness these tattoo removal sessions to make sure they didn’t end up inking themselves in the future.
“I’ve taken my two older kids to the procedure so they see how painful it is and what I have to go through,” he told People.
Although the actor eventually got rid of his tattoos, Wahlberg hasn’t stopped putting his body to the test for his commitment to making films, as for Father Stu, he put on an additional 30 pounds.
The Fighter is available to rent on Apple TV.
Source: The Late Late Show with James Corden
