Besides being one of the fittest and in shape individuals with rigorous fitness diets and exercise regimes, Mark Wahlberg is also an exceptional actor, with numerous star-studded performances etched in his movie industry experience resume. Yet, as the series of unfortunate events would have it, he is also one of the most underrated stars at the same time, especially at the Academy Awards.
Perhaps that is the reason why when the Academy announced a new award back in 2018 for the kind of superhit films that were often overlooked for major awards like Best Picture, Wahlberg had a positive take on it, though it might have rubbed his fans the wrong way.
Mark Wahlberg’s Positive Take On The Newly Introduced Oscars Category
Flashback to August 2018: The Academy announced a pretty big change to the Oscars by bringing in a whole new category of awards created in order to benefit those blockbusters that were often overlooked for vital honors like the Best Picture accolade.
While this earned a lot of criticism from others, Mark Wahlberg just wasn’t one to agree with the critic community. Speaking on this issue shortly after with Variety at his film Mile 22‘s premiere, he said:
“Maybe if they’d had the category before, we’d have won a couple of them.”
In the Ted star’s opinion, had this “Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film” category existed before during his The Departed era, he might have actually scored a few Oscars instead of being left hanging on nomination only (he was nominated for two Academy Awards but won none).
“We’ve had some really commercially successful films that we think certainly warranted that kind of notoriety,” Wahlberg said. “We make films that we want people to enjoy and if we get those kinds of accolades, fantastic. If not, we make the movies for audiences to enjoy.”
Although this comment might have rubbed fans the wrong way, the Shooter actor was quick to defend his point of view on the matter. He said:
“There are a lot of great films out there that happen to be very popular and haven’t been recognized that probably deserve the recognition.”
As it turns out, Mark Wahlberg wasn’t the only one to defend the honor, for the rest of his Mile 22 team was standing right behind him, backing him up for support.
Mark Wahlberg’s Mile 22 Co-Stars Defend New Oscars Category As Well
During the same interview with Variety, Mark Wahlberg’s Mile 22 co-star Ronda Rousey also jumped in to share her appreciation for the newly introduced Oscar.
“I might have a shot,” the MMA star laughed. “Finally, I’m in the running for an Academy Award. I’m gunning for the outstanding achievement in popular film [award]. You heard it now. Vote for me.”
Backing up her comment was Nikolai Nikolaeff, the actor who plays a perplexing Russian operative in the film.
“There are some amazing films that get overlooked,” Nikolaeff added. “There has to be some kind of pat on the back for overall awesomeness. ‘Star Wars’ is one. You wonder, how did they get overlooked? It’s almost like they’re too successful, so it’s really something to celebrate.”
However, so far, none of the above-mentioned actors have managed to bag even one “Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film” Oscar. Perhaps, with the gradual passage of time, they might succeed. That – only time can tell.
Source: Variety
