Between 1999 and 2001 he robbed over 100 banks in California. The Oscar-nominated actor talks about the six-year journey to get his passion project to the big screen. The Oscar-nominated actor is known for starring in big blockbusters as well as producing hit TV shows like Entourage and Boardwalk Empire. For the past six years, Wahlberg has been trying to make a movie about Stuart Long, a troubled, foul-mouthed Montana boxer who dedicated his life to the Roman Catholic Church after he nearly died in a motorcycle accident. The priest died of myositis, a rare disease, after years of battling it. When a priest at his parish told him about Long's life and how he redeemed himself through the church, he was looking for a story to tell about his Catholic faith. The Hollywood treatment was given to Long by Wahlberg, who saw similarities in his own life. It was not easy. After years of the project going nowhere in the development stage, Wahlberg chose to self-finance the movie with the help of two collaborators, finding inspiration from his costar Mel Gibson. ThePassion of the Christ was a divisive 2004 box-office sensation, which was made by the same man who dealt with controversy, and who was cast by the same man as Long. With the movie "Father Stuart" hitting theaters on Wednesday, Wahlberg still can't believe his good fortune. There is a bit of divine intervention going on. He told Insider over the phone that the film had been blessed. Insider spoke with Wahlberg about his decision to self-finance the movie, the process of gaining 30 pounds to play Long at the end of his life, and his plans to make more faith-based movies. You know the rule to never break is to put your own money into your business. Yes. How did you decide to self-finance the movie? I always bet on myself. Is there a scenario where if you didn't have money, it wouldn't get made? I gave the script to a couple of people I thought might get it. It is subjective. You have an idea of what the material is. He is sick at the end and some people thought it was depressing. They did not see how inspiring the heart and emotion is. Maybe I try it because I felt like Mel had done it. If I did find someone to finance, it would be a whole other conversation because typically the person cutting the check also has notes and wants to be involved in the process. I think it is better if I just step up and have complete control. What amount of money did you have to put in? Is it half the budget? More? I put millions and millions of dollars into the film and then incurred other costs because we went over schedule in production and there are clearances for the music. One of my friends is not in the film business but believes in the project. A friend of mine is in the film business and he came in for a small portion. The film is written and directed by a first-time filmmaker, but before that choice did it ever get to a point where you would have directed the movie? Yeah. That was a conversation. It would not work for me to carve out 18 months of my life and then put everything on hold. I had a feeling that he would do a great job behind the camera. I wanted to give her a chance. It makes me look a little smarter than I am because I have a first-time director. I cannot take credit for the movie's success because it was God who chose me to make it. He knows that I can use all the talents and gifts that have been given to me for his greater good and serve my part in his big picture. I prayed for the film to be made. Along with co-starring in the movie, Mel Gibson introduced you to Rosalind, and you leaned on him for advice. The Passion of the Christ had an effect on you. I saw it on opening day. I was amazed. I was impressed by the quality of the film and the fact that he financed it himself. I always appreciated that. It was his love letter to God that inspired me to do this. Did you ever think of him as a director? No. She put herself in that position. Her script blew me away. Mel also felt that she was more than capable. He knew that I was at a point in my career where I knew what I wanted to do with this. A priest from your parish pitched you a film about Stuart Long. That is one of the most unique pitches you have ever received. I would move around from church to church because I got a lot of pitches. Really? Yeah. I am not looking for material at the church. I want to be able to worship and find some peace. He was the least likely person I would expect to pitch me to, but he told me the story a couple of times and finally it registered for me. I have been looking for something like this and it is a fantastic role, a powerful and inspiring story. It was original to get people attention. This is no disrespect to the work that you have been doing recently, but there is just an energy from you in this movie that is different. These kinds of things are rare. You have to go out and find things that will challenge you. It is a blessing. Did you see a lot of yourself in Father Stuart when you learned more about him? Difficult childhood, lots of problems trying to find your purpose in life, what you are meant to do, and all of those things are similar. I did. He had a lot of real life experiences, and I appreciated the way he was able to communicate his experiences to others. That is a big point in the movie, that Father Stuart wasn't just talking about it. He walked it. Exactly. You have been trying to get this movie made for six years. Is there a point when you were ready to shoot and the money fell out? Thankfully, that never happened. We would have a start date and then something would happen. David O. Russell and I were working on it. We met with some writers, but we never liked what we got. I decided to work on it myself. I wanted to find the right people as quickly as possible so that I could make the movie. It took a while. When I met her, I couldn't believe how good the script was. She could put it on the screen if she could put it on the page. She is telling the movie from her point of view. By the end of the movie, Long has changed due to his condition. The role required you to put on 30 pounds. Would you ever go through that again? The weight gain was not good. I would not want to do it again. This was more important than just doing a stunt for an actor. Everything about him was based on his physical appearance. It was unbelievable to see him lose his strength but gain it back. I wanted the audience to understand it. Watching this, I thought about how much weight Sylvester Stallone gained forCop Land. He has talked about how hard it was to gain weight. Can you relate? How did you end up with a body like that? I can understand that. You have to force yourself to eat. I tried to go the route that was healthy. Is it possible to not eat burgers and shakes? No. I went to the doctor to have it checked out. The diet plan for the first two weeks was 7,000 calories a day. The last four weeks had 11,000 calories a day. Hold on. How is that good for you? It is more healthy than the other way. What did you eat? A cup of olive oil, a dozen eggs, a dozen pieces of bacon, two bowls of white rice, and a dozen pieces of eggs are what you'll find in the morning. There are more eggs and a steak. Seven to eight meals a day is what it is. What? There is a lot of starches and sodium on top of theProtein to get that bloated look. By the end, you wouldn't want to eat a meal again in your life. I did not like it. This will be labeled as a faith-based movie. It is a top shelf in that genre with its high-end production design and the talent involved. The highest quality of cinema was what we wanted to create. Is that something you want to do more of now? Absolutely. I hope more stories come to me, not just stories that I can star in, but also stories that can help others get their works off the ground. There is a huge audience for this, and I want to do more of it in the future. Are you thinking of starting a production company that focuses on faith-based stories? We are putting the emphasis on quality in all of our work. The hope is that I can get other high- caliber talent to come and do what I did with Father Stuart, bet on themselves, take a chance. It is not always about the paycheck. The interview has been edited for clarity. The original article can be found on Insider. The worst season of the former star pitcher's career was 2014–2018. He gained it all back. After a year with the Los Angeles Lakers in which he was never a fit, Russell Westbrook averaged his lowest scoring total in more than a decade. 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INSIDER
Wahlberg said Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ' was what inspired him to self-finance 'Father Stu'
Wahlberg saw similarities between his life and Long's with 'trying to find your purpose in life'
To gain 30 pounds for the role, Wahlberg said he ate 7 to 8 meals a day made up of eggs, bacon, and steak
Wahlberg has created a production company to make more faith-based projects
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