Father Stu Mark Wahlberg Interview

Hey, I'm Allison with FlickDirect and I'm speaking with Mark Wahlberg about Father Stu. How are you today? I'm very good, thank you. So what was it about this particular story about Stuart Long that spoke to you? Oh gosh, he's had such an amazing journey. I mean, for selfish reasons as an actor you don't really get to play a character or a person with that kind of arc.

But I've been for a long time working on Mark Wahlberg and building my platform and saying I'll do more when I have a bigger, louder voice. This movie came to me and said, "No, this is time to now utilize the talents that God gave you to tell the stories that He wants you to tell and do His work." So continuing to spread Stu's message and his voice was something that I certainly felt inspired to do.

So it was a labor of love. Absolutely, absolutely. And these are the ones that you always have to work that much harder to get made. They're constantly pushing them uphill, but they're far more fulfilling than anything else. You had quite a physical transformation, but emotionally and mentally what was that transformation like to play Father Stu? It was challenging, it was challenging, but you know I've spent the last 49 years of my life preparing to play this part and I certainly had a great template and screenplay and I spent so much time with with Bill and with other friends of Stu that I really kind of understood who he was.

I could certainly understand his conviction and his faith and that was unwavering. And all the other difficulties that he faced and the obstacles that he had to overcome to get there and the way to find his calling. So once I got there, I mean I always take the Cagney approach. you get the part, you become the part, and then with no great effort you play the part.

So we had 30 days to do it. I was also a producer, so I was wearing that hat most of the time and trying to make sure that we were operating efficiently. But yeah, I was in that headspace, you know. I only had 30 days to do it, so it was it was no like, oh let me kind of go back to my trailer and figure this out. You know, we wanted to make it as real as possible, so we try to live it as much as possible.

--I want to talk a bit about the script for a minute. It's such a serious story, yet Rosalind Ross put in so much humor. How was there finding the balance with the humor to not outweigh the seriousness or vice versa? We're just trusting in each other, because I was always pushing a certain envelope and agenda. I wanted to make it as edgy as possible.

But even finding humor in the later moments of the third act, we always thought was very important. We didn't want to make a movie that was too serious. And it's funny because we figured out pretty early on when we sent the script to a couple of people, it didn't translate well on the page for people. They didn't get the humor right away. They thought, "Oh, this is too dark.

It's too heavy. People aren't going to want to see this." And I was like, "It's not dark and heavy. It's funny and light and filled with hope. And yes, he does come down with this incurable disease, but we're all dealing with mortality. And these are questions that people are asking now more than ever. even in the beginning of the pandemic. So I stopped trying to convince people.

I just said, let me do it on my own and let me show people. But we always, yes, we would always kind of try to find that fine line. And we'd do one that was a little heavier, one that was a little lighter. So we'd have the choices in the editing room. - And I think you did a phenomenal job. And I think it's such a wonderful story and people are really gonna love it.

- Well, thank you. I appreciate that. Yeah, we're thrilled. (air whooshing) (dramatic music) (explosion) [BLANK_AUDIO]