"I started becoming a producer out of necessity"- Mark Wahlberg opens up about taking a backseat in the acting industry

Mark Wahlberg is well known as one of Hollywood's finest actors, but not according to the actor himself, who revealed in a latest interview with Cigar Aficionado magazine that one of the reasons he pivoted to producing was because he could not get his desired roles. Instead, the Pain & Gain star had to reportedly wait for other big names like Leonardo Di Caprio, Brad Pitt, and Tom Cruise to turn down roles so he could swoop them up.

Though Mark Wahlberg is known for his versatility and the ability to perform in both critically acclaimed pieces as well as fun, commercial flicks, the competitive side of Hollywood forced the 52-year-old to consider other things in the industry, including producing.

Wahlberg said:

"I started becoming a producer out of necessity,...I didn’t want to sit around waiting for Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise or whoever was already established before me and were the guys at the time, and Leo [DiCaprio], to go and pass on a movie until I could get my hands on it. I was always proactive in trying to find material and things that I could produce, that I knew was right for me, create my own destiny."

Though Mark Wahlberg continues to add to his movie credits, he plans to move ahead in the path he is currently on and create more in the upcoming years as a producer.

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"I don’t think that I’ll be acting that much longer at the pace I am now"- Mark Wahlberg on his future plans

After revealing what drove him in the direction of producing, Wahlberg also revealed that producing was the line he would like to focus on in the future. He said that he was planning to tone down the volume of movies he currently does.

In 2022, the actor appeared in Uncharted, Me Time, and Father Stu. Wahlberg starred in various roles per year. However, this was one aspect he was willing to change, as revealed by the actor in a recent interview.

Mark Wahlberg said:

"Well I’m certainly working harder now than ever...Certain businesses, you kind of build them, pass them on or you exit. Hopefully my kids, we’ll see what their interests are, but I don’t think that I’ll be acting that much longer at the pace I am now. That’s for sure. Because that’s the most difficult thing."

Despite his slow withdrawal from acting, Mark Wahlberg already has several projects lined up for the future, including The Family Plan and Our Man From Jersey costaring Halle Berry.

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Mark Wahlberg, formerly known by his stage name Marky Mark, is widely known in Hollywood for his roles as a leading man for decades. He rose to prominence as a member of the hip-hop group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch in the 1990s, with whom he released the albums Music for the People (1991) and You Gotta Believe (1992).

He soon made his screen debut and made his presence understood with the critically acclaimed film Boogie Nights (1997). He went on to appear in multiple big-budget action movies like The Perfect Storm (2000), Planet of the Apes (2001), and The Italian Job (2003).