Mark Wahlberg’s Impossible Feat Stunned Even a Hardcore Marine Veteran After Just 2 Days of Sniper Training

Mark Wahlberg impressed veteran scout sniper, Patrick Garrity in just 2 days of sniper training for his role in Shooter.

Written by: Priya
Reviewed by: Sayantan
Mark Wahlberg’s Impossible Feat Stunned Even a Hardcore Marine Veteran After Just 2 Days of Sniper Training

SUMMARY

  • Mark Wahlberg went through a difficult training program to prepare for his role in Shooter.
  • He was trained by veteran scout sniper, Patrick Garrity, who taught him to shoot from both the hands.
  • The actor even learnt extreme distance shooting of upto 1,100-yard in just two days.
Show More▼
Featured Video

Mark Wahlberg has left audiences spellbound with his variety of roles. While he gained recognition with dramatic roles, he established himself as an action star with various acclaimed movies including The Italian Job and Lone Survivor. Given that he is quite meticulous about what he does, he never took a step back to put himself into a difficult situation for his role. His determination and hard work were even recognized by a marine veteran who was recruited to train the former for his role in the 2007 movie, Shooter. 

Advertisement

Mark Wahlberg in SHooter
Mark Wahlberg in Shooter [2007]
Also Read: Despite Greek God Looks, Ryan Gosling Became so “Fat and unemployed” for a Movie, They Replaced Him With Mark Wahlberg

The production team decided to hire one of the elite U.S. Marine scout snipers, Patrick Garrity to prepare the actor with his experience and practical knowledge. Given that he has served as a special trainer for snipers, training Wahlberg was not a heavy task however little did he know that the former would even stun the latter with the results he started showcasing after two days of sniper training. 

Advertisement

Mark Wahlberg Went Through a ‘Not-So-Basic’ Sniper Training for Shooter

Mark Wahlberg
Mark Wahlberg in a still of Shooter (2007)

Also Read: Director Reveals Details on Mark Wahlberg’s The Family Plan 2: “It’d be a different story but…”

Veteran scout sniper, Patrick Garrity was tasked with training Mark Wahlberg to imbibe sniper’s spirit in the actor. As per Visual Hollywood, the plan was to prepare him mentally and physically along with the commitment one must require to efficiently work in dangerous missions. The actor even discussed his training time stating, 

“Front Sight is basically the most elaborate weapons training facility that I’ve ever seen. At one point, I had on 130 pounds of equipment, was carrying this huge sniper rifle and had to walk out on this little thin beam a couple of hundred feet in the air. A few years ago, these are things that I would have loved to have done, but now I’m a parent and have a lot more to live for!”

With his training, Wahlberg was able to shoot from both left and right hands. For the unversed, the Max Payne actor is left-handed. Garrity also trained him to adjust a weapon’s scope, rapid bolt manipulation, judging the effects of wind on a shot, and special breathing skills to relax one’s heart while shooting the target. 

Advertisement

However, this training needed much more commitment which he diligently showcased with his efforts, which even impressed his trainer. 

Veteran Scout Sniper Was Impressed With Mark Wahlberg

Mark Wahlberg in Shooter
Mark Wahlberg in Shooter

Also Read: Mark Wahlberg’s The Family Plan 2 All But Assured after Breaking Apple TV+ Record

In the same interview, Garrity acknowledged Wahlberg’s hard work and went on to appreciate that “Mark is a very good fit for this role.” He further praised the actor for having a “great work ethic.”

Advertisement

“He’s even got the young military look with the chiseled face and the right attitude. When he first showed up, he was a little loose, maybe not knowing what to expect. But I set up a two-day training course for him and he came ready with a great work ethic. He picks up everything extremely fast and it made my job a lot easier.”

Garrity further taught him extensive sniper skills that the actor managed to learn in two days.  

 “I took him to an unknown distance range in the middle of the desert – we call it Sniper’s Point – and started him at close targets. Finally, we walked out to 900 yards. I think he missed the first one and after the first miss, made contact on the next one. Same thing at 1,100 yards, which is about ten football fields. I was pretty excited that I could get somebody, in two days, to be able to hit an 1,100-yard man-sized target.”

Not just that, the veteran sniper taught him to use the ghillie suits used by pro snipers to mimic the natural vegetation for camouflage. Due to his experience and amazing knowledge of sniping, the actor even convinced the producers to hire him as the film’s military-technical advisor. It was generally well-received by moviegoers for its plot and action scenes.

Shooter is available to watch on Paramount+

Advertisement

Mark Wahlberg

Avatar

Written by Priya Sharma

Articles Published: 1110

Priya Sharma, Senior Content Writer and Social Media Manager at FandomWire and Animated Times. Having graduated in Journalism and Mass Communication, she possesses extensive expertise in crafting engaging and informative content. She has written over 2000 articles across Animated Times and FandomWire on pop culture, showing her dedication to delivering diverse and trending content to readers across the world. Apart from pop culture, she is quite enthusiastic about the Hallyu culture and is exploring the world of anime, expanding the horizons of her knowledge.