'Not A Lot Of Fun': Mark Wahlberg Gained 30 Pounds For Movie
For his latest role, actor Mark Wahlberg needed six weeks to gain 30 pounds.
Amateur.
Unlike the rest of us 30somethings who’ve become pros at adding weight, Wahlberg, 50, insists his weight gain program was a real challenge and about as much fun as an overnighter with the in-laws.
“None of it was fun, except for the first meal was amazing, because I hadn’t eaten anything up until that point,” Wahlberg told ET Canada.
Wahlberg had to add the mass in order to accurately portray ex-boxer turned priest, Stuart Long in the movie Father Stu, which premieres next week.
Though putting on the pounds may sound like fun movie prep, Wahlberg told ET Canada that the weight-gain diet was actually brutal: “I started with 7,000 calories for the first two weeks and then 11,000 calories for the final four weeks.”
Any excitement Wahlberg had about stuffing his face quickly subsided after his first gluttonous meal.
“After that, when you’re already full and you have to eat again...” the actor complained.
Rather than pack on pounds the old-fashioned way – a recliner, the Chipotle app, and cases of Bud Heavy – Wahlberg tried to be as healthy as possible.
“It was a dozen eggs and a dozen pieces of bacon, two baked potatoes, a Porterhouse steak, two bowls of white rice, and a glass of olive oil,” Wahlberg noted.
Now, if you think I’m going to feel bad that Marky Mark had to slam Porterhouse steaks and bacon by the dozen, you’ve got the wrong guy. But a glass of olive oil? Now that is unfortunate. The guy who emerged on the scene by promising "good vibrations" has just delivered the ultimate buzzkill.
But for Wahlberg, the olive oil actually wasn’t the worst part. He told ET, “The last two weeks (were) starches, and then sodium, just to kind of get as bloated as possible. So not a lot of fun.”
Sounds rough.
Having said that, if you know of any studios looking for a middle-aged male who needs to gain 30 pounds in a month and a half in exchange for a few million bucks, give me a shout. I know a guy who will do it in half the time for half the money.
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