Mark Wahlberg is back this week in the action thriller, Play Dirty, the latest from director Shane Black, who also shares screenwriting duties with Charles Mondry and Anthony Bagarozzi. Wahlberg’s career as an actor has been interesting because he went from being a former rapper and underwear model to establishing one of the most diverse and profitable filmographies of his acting contemporaries.
While he hasn’t quite reached the level of a Will Smith or Leonardo DiCaprio, his choice in films has ranged from dramas, comedies, and tentpole popcorn fare and the occasional paycheck movie. Through it all, Wahlberg has proven on more than one occasion that he’s a more than capable actor, and that’s what we’re diving into as we look at Wahlberg’s five best performances to date.
Honorable Mention: The Basketball Diaries (1995) as Mickey
Every new actor needs a stepping stone to greatness, and The Basketball Diaries was that film for Wahlberg, likely setting the stage for his true breakout role as Dirk Diggler in 1997’s Boogie Nights. Directed by Scott Kalvert and based on the autobiographical novel of the same name by Jim Carroll, The Basketball Diaries follows Carroll’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) journey from being a promising high school basketball player and writer to a devastating addiction to heroin.
Wahlberg portrays his friend Mickey, who is also dealing with the disease of addiction, and the actor gives a level of authenticity in a supporting role that allows him to stand out, even alongside DiCaprio, who also gives a powerful performance. Wahlberg has been honest about his background and rough upbringing, and it’s clear he pulled from some of that to give one of the most honest performances of his career. If anything, The Basketball Diaries proved that Wahlberg was just at the beginning of his true potential as an actor.
5. Fear (1996) as David McCall
Fear was only Wahlberg’s third big screen endeavor, but at least up to that point, it was his meatiest role that he definitely chewed into with relish. Directed by James Foley from a screenplay by Christopher Crowe, Fear follows a wealthy family whose life is turned upside down when their teenage daughter Nicole (Reese Witherspoon) begins dating a seemingly charming young man who happens to be an out of his mind sociopath.
Fear is often a guilty pleasure by some and while there are some issues with the movie overall, Wahlberg emerges as its best asset because of a calm level of darkness he exhibits throughout the film until a home invasion finale that allows him to go a bit unhinged. Who doesn’t remember him shouting “let me in the f***ing house” or creepily pounding his chest? Wahlberg proved he could go to some dark places and the real shame about all of this is that he hasn’t dabbled in this dark place all that much sense. Maybe it’s being a family man now that has prevented such a deliciously evil turn, but he’s long overdue because his performance in Fear remains one of his best.
4. Ted (2012) as John Bennett
While Wahlberg has starred in some comedic misses, it has proven to be a genre in which he shines because he’s naturally funny and has one hell of a delivery. This is showcased in 2010’s The Other Guys, alongside Will Ferrell, and it’s especially true alongside Seth MacFarlane’s foul-mouthed teddy bear in Ted. Directed by MacFarlane from a screenplay he co-wrote with Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild, Ted follows John Bennet (Wahlberg), a guy from Boston who made a wish as a child that his teddy bear, Ted (voiced by MacFarlane), would come to life. As they grow into adulthood, John’s friendship with Ted becomes a hindrance in the former’s life, particularly with his relationship with his girlfriend Lori (Mila Kunis).
It all sounds very silly, but kudos to Wahlberg and MacFarlane for making the union between John and Ted feel authentic. It helps that Wahlberg is 100 percent committed to the role, diving into the very fiber of his Boston background to deliver some of the film’s funniest moments (the “white trash name” sequence with Ted remains a true highlight). The movie turned into a $550 million global hit for Wahlberg, and what is even more impressive about the performance is that he makes John likable despite his shortcomings. This is no easy task, but he certainly pulls it off.
3. The Fighter (2010) as Micky Ward
In David O. Russell’s biographical sports drama The Fighter, much of the praise is given to Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo, but Wahlberg gives them more than adequate support in a less flashy role that is impressive in its own right. Written by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, and Eric Johnson, The Fighter chronicles the lives of professional boxer Micky Ward (Wahlberg) and his half-brother and former boxer Dicky Eklund (Bale). Wahlberg’s turn as Micky is quiet and understated, proving that a performer doesn’t need to go over the top to engage the audience. Given the fact that the actor is playing an underdog in the film, it’s only fitting that his performance follow the same trajectory. It’s so skillfully reserved that Wahlberg earns the moment when he finally gets to show a high level of emotion when he exclaims why can’t things be about him. The audience is waiting for that volcano to erupt, and when it does, Wahlberg steps up to the challenge.
Bale and Leo received Oscars for their stellar performances, while Adams was nominated for her magnetic turn, and this is likely why Wahlberg’s performance tends to be overshadowed. It should be noted that Wahlberg led this film as a producer and earned an Academy Award nomination himself in that capacity when the movie earned a Best Picture nod. He might’ve been the underdog of the film, but he certainly was one of the film’s leaders that took to financial glory ($129 million worldwide on $25 million budget) and awards season greatness.
2. The Departed (2006) as Staff Sergeant Sean Dignam
Wahlberg emerged as the only acting Oscar nominee for The Departed, his supporting turn in the film, which some have labeled an upset given the stellar performances by Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, and Matt Damon. It can be debated whether this was truly an upset, but what can’t be denied is that Wahlberg makes the very most of his ten minutes of screen time as Staff Sergeant Sean Dignam.
Directed by Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by William Monahan, The Departed serves as an American remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. In the film, which now takes place in Boston, Irish mob boss Frank Costello (Nicholson) plants a spy named Colin Sullivan (Damon) within the Massachusetts State Police, while law enforcement also plants an undercover state trooper named Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) within Costello’s organization. Sergeant Sean Dignam is the right-hand man of Martin Sheen’s Captain Queenan, and he gets some of the film’s most memorable moments, particularly when he’s trying to get under the skin of DiCaprio’s undercover cop. Wahlberg gets to let several F-bombs fly, and he commands the screen so well that it’s easy to forget that he’s absent from a big chunk of the film until its shocking final scene. A lot has been made as to why the other actors didn’t land Oscar nominations, but Wahlberg proves that even the smallest roles can demand your attention.
1. Boogie Nights (1997) as Dirk Diggler
While Wahlberg’s feelings about Boogie Nights might be mixed today (more on that later), it remains his best performance as an actor. Even though he had graced the big screen a few times before, you can truly witness a star-is-born quality in Wahlberg as he navigates through Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterpiece. Also written by Anderson, Boogie Nights follows a young nightclub dishwasher (portrayed by Wahlberg) in the San Fernando Valley who becomes a rising star in pornographic films during the golden age of the industry in the 1970s.
Wahlberg manages to capture an earnestness as Eddie Adams that is then mixed with a cocky level of confidence as Dirk Diggler that ultimately results in a professional and personal downfall that the actor also slips into with ease. In some ways, it seems to mirror Wahlberg’s own career at the time. Even though he wasn’t a stranger to films when he made Boogie Nights, he was still chasing the role that would truly prove himself, and this film became that breakout moment for Wahlberg. Maybe because he was surrounded by other bigger talents that included Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Don Cheadle, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Burt Reynolds, who earned an Oscar nomination for his performance, it pushed Wahlberg to want to be better. Whatever the case, he more than rose to the occasion, proving he was an actor who was here to stay.
The real shame here is in the years since the film’s release, Wahlberg’s faith and priorities as a family man and father have seemed to dampen his reaction to the film itself. He respects the movie’s artistic merits, but given the sometimes raunchy nature of the film, the man of today feels conflicted about it. Hopefully, he remains aware that it’s a pivotal moment of his career and that he may not be in the position he is in today without it.
You can see Wahlberg in Play Dirty, now streaming on Prime Video.
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