Things You Might Not Know About Mark Wahlberg

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9. Out of Control

When the Boogie Nights actor was 10, his parents divorced and it hit him pretty hard. He grew increasingly out of control as a result. “I was climbing out the window and staying out all night when I was 12 or 13, and by the time I was 13 or 14, I stopped going to school,” he told Vanity Fair. “My older brothers taught me how to get high when I was 10, and gave me a couple of beers. They thought it was funny to see me stumbling around. A lot of my family is now in A.A. But I don’t blame anybody. I took it upon myself to take it to the next level. I was getting fucked up every day and committing violent acts. When I was 13, 14, 15, I had a pretty serious cocaine problem. I was sniffing and freebasing, but I never tried heroin—never saw it, thank god. If the cool guys in my neighborhood were doing it, I would have. Being the youngest and the smallest and the most eager, I was always trying to impress the older guys. And I wasn’t scared of much at all.”

A photo posted by Mark Wahlberg (@markwahlberg) on Jun 19, 2014 at 9:05am PDT

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8. Turning It Around

Serving a 45-day prison sentence for attacking a Vietnamese man at the age of 16 marked a turning point in young Mark’s life. His older brother Donnie, who was part of New Kids on the Block, composed some hip hop arrangements for him, helped him organize a group called Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch and produced their first album with his own money, which ended up going platinum.

A photo posted by Mark Wahlberg (@markwahlberg) on Aug 17, 2015 at 11:59am PDT

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7. Struggling to Break Through

When the former rapper tried to make the transition into acting, he wasn’t welcomed into the industry with open arms. Director Scott Kalvert discovered this when he was trying to get Marky Mark cast in the movie The Basketball Diaries. According to him, Wahlberg had to work four times as hard as “someone starting from scratch.”

A photo posted by Mark Wahlberg (@markwahlberg) on Sep 25, 2014 at 8:59am PDT

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6. Narrow Escape

The Fighter actor was scheduled to be on American Airlines Flight 11 on September 11th, but canceled his ticket because he decided to leave a week earlier to see a friend’s movie at the Toronto Film Festival.

Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

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5. Devout Catholic

He is a pretty devout Catholic. “Being a Catholic is the most important aspect of my life. The first thing I do when I start my day is, I get down on my hands and knees and give thanks to God. Whenever I go outside of my house, the first thing I do is stop at the church,” he said. “If I can start my day out by saying my prayers and getting myself focused, then I know I’m doing the right thing. That 10 minutes helps me in every way throughout the day.”

Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

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4. Past Loves

Some of his past girlfriends include actresses Soleil Moon Frye, Reese Witherspoon, China Chow and Jordana Brewster.

Photo by Moviestore Collection/REX

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3. Restaurant Biz

Wahlberg and his two brothers Donnie and Paul own a burger restaurant and sports bar called Wahlburgers, which spawned a reality show with the same name that stars the three brothers. It airs on A&E.

Zach Dilgard/©A&E/courtesy Everett Collection

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2. Almost Cast

The Departed actor was offered the role of Linus Caldwell in Ocean’s Eleven, but he turned it down. Matt Damon was cast instead. The film Brokeback Mountain was initially going to star Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix as Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, but both actors were uncomfortable with the film’s sex scenes, so Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal were cast instead.

A photo posted by Mark Wahlberg (@markwahlberg) on Apr 8, 2014 at 10:31am PDT

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1. High School Grad at 42

After dropping out of school in grade nine, he completed his high school education online and graduated in 2013 at the age of 42.

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