Fact Check: Did Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry date when they were younger? A look at their off-screen relationship

Following the release of their spy action comedy thriller film The Union, several people have been wondering about the reasons behind Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry's crackling onscreen chemistry. Some people have gone so far as to claim that the two dated in real life. However, these claims are completely untrue.

Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry have never had an offscreen relationship. The chemistry the audience sees in the film is a by-product of almost thirty years of friendship between the two actors which both actors attribute to each other's personalities.

In reality, Mark Wahlberg has been happily married to model Rhea Durham since 2009 and Halle Berry is in a relationship with musician Van Hunt.

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Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry never dated when they were younger

Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry have been friends for almost thirty years(Image via Getty)

Contrary to popular opinion, Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry never dated in real life, not as adults or when they were younger. However, they share a very close off-screen friendship spanning close to 30 years. In an exclusive interview with Hello published on August 20, 2024, Halle Berry spoke of her experience on working with Wahlberg for the first time after being friends for so long. She said:

"We’ve been friends for so long and working with Mark was the thing I didn’t know I needed."

She also spoke about how similar their experiences in the industry were in the beginning which has allowed them to solidify their friendship over the years even more. She said:

"We both started in very meager beginnings, same part of the country almost, we had the same references growing up. We had a lot of commonalities between us that sort of bound us together. We relied on that. We tried to bring that to the characters."

Mark Wahlberg also did not shy away from showering Halle Berry with compliments and mentioning the things that have worked in their friendship translating into their sizzling onscreen chemistry in The Union.

During the interview, he attributed their chemistry to "a great script" and a great backstory. However, he mentioned that what worked the best for them was the audience's willingness to see them together on the screen.

He also added:

"And that chemistry, you can't create that. You either have it or you don't. She's fantastic. Everything she appears to be on screen, she is in real life. She's wonderful, talented, super approachable, super accessible. She's amazing."

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About The Union

The Union released by Netflix on August 16, 2024 stars Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry as Mike McKenna and Roxanne Hall respectively. While Mike McKenna works in construction, his ex-girlfriend from almost twenty years ago who suddenly re-appears in his life works as a secret agent for an undercover organization called The Union.

Being a simple construction worker, Mike is sought by The Union via Roxanne for an undercover mission that requires him to go to great lengths to retrieve pieces of highly confidential information without being detected. It also requires him to face several foes on international territories to succeed in the mission.

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Written by Joe Barton and David Guggenheim and directed by Julian Farino, The Union on Netflix starring Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry is broadly a fast-paced action movie.

However, the movie’s heart lies in Mike and Roxanne’s restored romance which results in uncountable comical and amorous moments.