Cancel culture has been a divisive phenomenon in contemporary American society and the rest of the world. More recently, there has been a growing chorus of criticism and opposition to the practice of canceling people. This has been championed by popular figures like Joe Rogan and Patrick Bet-David, who have extensively spoken against it.
Now, Hollywood star Mark Wahlberg has made thought-provoking statements about cancel culture as he reveals his film Father Stu has a message of inclusivity, love, and redemption. A movie with a beautiful plot and one of the most special projects the star has ever produced, the movie is heavily focused on why phenomena like ‘cancel culture’ are toxic and wrong.
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Mark Wahlberg On Why His $4M Movie Is Against Cancel Culture
Mark Wahlberg is more than aware of cancel culture, having experienced it firsthand during the early stages of his career. Being the son of a Korean War veteran himself, the actor’s teenage years were filled with racially motivated crimes, where once he even attacked an army veteran (via Independent).
And so, unsurprisingly there have countless calls throughout his career to have him ‘canceled’. While his ‘haters’ might not accept it, his loyal fans know Wahlberg has worked hard to turn things around and continues to work towards improving himself each day.
Hence, creating his 2022 movie, Father Stu was a passion and personal project for him, a project for which he invested money out of his pocket. Based on the real-life story of Stuart Long, an irreligious amateur boxer who got a fatal disease and then became a catholic priest, Wahlberg described his movie as against cancel culture in an interview with Faithwire,
“This movie has a very clear message that we are not going to give up on people. We are not going to turn our backs on people because of mistakes that they’ve made. We are going to tell people and encourage people that nobody is beyond redemption and that we support you, we love you, we accept you for who you are.”
Stating that cancel culture largely is a toxic phenomenon, he added how there is nothing worse than realizing that people don’t care anymore and that is exactly what he wants in the society to change.
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Mark Wahlberg, In An Age Of Cancel Culture, Wants To Give People Hope
Mark Wahlberg knows it better that it is not his place to judge, having led an ‘astray’ and problematic life himself. However, he knows that people, cancel culture or not, will always judge and try to bring each other down (via Fox News). And in such an age the actor is trying hard to become a reason for making people not lose faith and hope.
Talking to Faithwire, he amplified the need to not give up on each other when negativity is everywhere,
“You cannot give up on people. And people are so quick to turn their backs on people. And negativity as a whole has just been amplified in a way that it’s really hard to remind people of the importance of loving and supporting people. People can do incredible things.”
Reflecting on his own redemption journey, Mark Wahlberg is firm that he isn’t doing this for fame or to grow his career but to utilize his career for good and to do God’s work. In a world where everyone is engaged in a game of chicken, Wahlberg’s dedication to society is highly commendable.
Father Stu can be streamed on Netflix.
