Mark Wahlberg was “pissed” while making The Departed over his hair and low paycheck

Last Updated on March 26, 2024

I’m the one who doesn’t complain about the job of a lifetime; Mark Wahlberg must be the other guy. Despite landing an Oscar nomination and fulfilling so many actors’ goal of working with Martin Scorsese, Wahlberg was “a little pissed” about a few things while making The Departed, chiefly his hair.

Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast earlier this month, Mark Wahlberg said the main issue that arose while filming The Departed actually had to do with that same year’s Invincible, in which he played Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Vince Papale. “I was going into Invincible after. I was trying to grow my hair out, which is why I had that weird hair…But I completely understand where Marty was coming from. He had to deal with Jack [Nicholson], he had to deal with Matt [Damon] and Leo [DiCaprio] and Alec [Baldwin] and everything, the studio and everybody else who was in the cast. And then I was supposed to be in and out in five weeks. And so I went off to shoot Invincible, got my hair extensions, came back and they’re like, ‘Oh, you gotta take out the extensions.’” This prompted Wahlberg to become a little irritated by the situation, apparently leading to some turmoil between himself and the director, the actor evidently oblivious to the fact that appearing in a Martin Scorsese film is a blessing in the industry.

The performance marked Wahlberg’s only Oscar nomination in an acting category, which I maintain wasn’t deserved at all and should have gone to Jack Nicholson if anyone, who did a heck of a lot more than throwing out salty one-liners and farts at his co-stars.

Wahlberg unveiled some other details about his time on The Departed, saying, “Originally, I was supposed to get paid,” referring to him being in the running for a more prominent role. “And then even when we kind of agreed that I would play Dignam and I saw the advantages of playing that part and how I would approach the situation with everybody else playing opposite me, I then had another movie after.” OK, on this point, I don’t really think Wahlberg has the acting chops to have played either one of the lead roles in The Departed, which would of course be those eventually played by DiCaprio and Damon. He did just fine in the Best Picture winner for what he had to do but Costigan and Sullivan are complex characters that I’m not sure Wahlberg could handle.

Even still, Wahlberg does apparently have enough connection to Dignam, having once been interested in launching a sequel to The Departed. After all, he is one of the few characters who survives…

What do you think of Mark Wahlberg’s comments about his time filming The Departed? How does he come off in the interview? Give us your take below.