Mark Wahlberg rejected some films during his career. A cancellation still hurts him to this day – but at that time the actor had a good reason.
Mark Wahlberg’s career has its ups and downs. In addition to really good films such as Boogie Nights, The Departed or The Fighter, the actor also made some, say, we say, qualitatively weaker stripes.
However, the question of what Wahlberg did not do, although he would have had the opportunity to do so. In conversation with Total film, he spoke about the director JJ Abrams and said that he wanted him to have a film a few years ago.
Specifically, it was about no lower franchise than Star Trek. Abrams started to stage the reboot and offered Wahlberg the role of George Kirk. It is the father of the protagonist James T. Kirk.
Wahlberg refused for a simple reason at the time and later regretted this decision.
See the trailer here to another Star Trek classic: the anger of the Khan.
Trailer for Star Trek II – the anger of Khan with William Shatner as Captain Kirk
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The script caused difficulties
Why said Wahlberg? The problem was not due to the size of the franchise. After all, Star Trek is one of the largest science fiction brands. No, Wahlberg even wanted the role. When he got and read the script, he was irritated:
I tried to read the script, but I didn’t understand the words, the dialogues or anything else, and I said: ‘I can’t. I think you are extremely talented, but I can’t do that.
Mark Wahlburg via Total Film
So it failed due to understanding the script. Wahlberg canceled JJ Abrams and filled the role with someone else. The alternative line -up is also anything but a stranger in Hollywood, namely Chris Hemsworth, whom most of them know as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
How did Wahlberg later think about the cancellation? Abrams turned without Wahlberg. When the actor looked at the finished film afterwards, he was impressed. He thought Abrams did a great job.
Today he regrets the cancellation and says that he would not just have the opportunity to work with Abrams. Perhaps a collaboration will come about in the future. Another actor also rejected a major role: Harrison Ford regretted having rejected an important role – in the end could have received an Oscar