Mark Wahlberg has thrilled his fans with some of his most iconic roles in films like The Basketball Diaries,  Fear, and Boogie Nights.

The actor, however, has been extremely vocal about one movie,  The Lovely Bones, whose dark subject matter did bother the star. Marky Mark, who is known for having the most extensive resume in H-town, revealed how the subject matter of the movie, impacted him personally.

Mark Wahlberg and Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones (2009)

Mark Wahlberg Went To A Dark Place Everyday On Set

When Ryan Gosling turned down the role of the saddened father in The Lovely Bones, stating that he didn’t feel right about fitting the character, Jack Salmon, whose daughter Susie meets a tragic death, went on to Mark Wahlberg. The two-time Oscar nominee often revealed in interviews that filming this movie has been nothing, but torturous.

During an interview, the Hollywood Walk of Fame star recipient revealed how the movie’s dark subject matter wavered his resolve in filming The Lovely Bones. The 2009 supernatural thriller drama was based on the novel of the same name by Alice Sebold. He said:

“I’ve put myself through emotional torture making this movie. It’s taken me to unimaginably dark places. I’ve never been daunted by a script. But as soon as I realized what this film involved, I really had to think about whether I wanted to go to that dark place every day during filming.”

Mark Wahlberg admitted to going to dark places during the filming
The movie grossed over $94 million worldwide. The Lovely Bones narrates the story of a young girl Susie Salmon, who gets murdered tragically. Wahlberg, who plays the role of her father becomes obsessed with their case, while the daughter continues to witness the pain of her loved ones from the afterlife.

Mark Wahlberg Took The Subject Matter Too Personally

During the same interview, Mark Wahlberg expressed how filming this film tormented him deep down. The actor, who shares four children with his wife, Rhea Durham, narrated how as a parent he’d kill if someone tries to come near his children like that. The actor said:
“The Lovely Bones is a chilling story, especially if you’re a parent. The murder of a child is the very last thing any mother or father ever wants to think about. I read about the terrible things that people do to children and I know that if anyone like them came near my kids, I’d kill them.”

Mark Wahlberg
After Peter Jackson’s movie, Mark Wahlberg went on to star in another movie, Max Payne (also a video game), which had a similar yet revengeful storyline wherein the actor played a cop, exacting revenge on everyone who went after his family.

He revealed that the other side of him wanted to “go out and wreak havoc, and I got to do all that through this film.” The actor was referring to the emotional torture of working on the 2009 movie, and he’s more than glad that he did Max Payne, despite negative reviews.