Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson are among the strongest actors in the Hollywood industry.

They are famous for their muscular build and enthusiasm for workouts. Both actors are among the leading action stars of the industry and have garnered a massive fan following individually.

Being the most bulked-up stars, their fans often get into verbal wars over who is mightier among them. Wahlberg ended the debate in an interview on The Ellen Show.

However, it seems like the actor could not follow through with his words when he boasted of doing more pull-ups than the former WWE star, The Rock.

Mark Wahlberg boasted of doing more pull-ups than Dwayne Johnson

The two action heroes, Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson worked together in the 2013 black comedy, Pain & Gain. Both actors are among the strongest action stars in the industry, however, fans often raise the question, of who is stronger between them.

The Departed actor once threw light on the topic during his appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where the host asked him if he could do more pull-ups than Dwayne Johnson.

Wahlberg replied,

“Oh, I could do more pull-ups than The Rock. I dunno, I did 25 here with a pair of Timberland boots for charity. But the max I do is probably like, 40, but clean ones. Clean ones!”
The answer left the audience amazed as they clapped in appreciation.


Dwayne Johnson and Mark Wahlberg in Pain & Gain

However, the actor’s claim fell through when his pull-ups were shown in the show. In the video, he was seen doing clean pull-ups but only did 11 proper ones.  

The actor often shares clips of his grueling workout on social media.

Michael Bay had to convince Dwayne Johnson not to leave Mark Wahlberg’s film

Dwayne Johnson was offered the role of a weight-lifting man of faith, and dedicated towards humanity. However, Johnson became uncomfortable with the part where his character later snorted cocaine and grilled human hands in his backyard barbeque. He decided to leave Michael Bay’s film a week before the shoot started.

The director recalled,

“He literally quit the week before. And he goes, ‘I can’t do this.’”


Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson in Pain and Gain

The actor would have nearly ruined his career with his lack of confidence for the role. However, Bay was counting on him and was not ready to let him leave. He literally begged the actor to do the role, which ultimately became his best performance ever.

The director had to write a letter to convince the actor, and the effort was fruitful for Bay. He recalled,

“I’m like, ‘Dwayne, you are my secret weapon in this movie.’ And I wrote him this long letter about all the actors I worked with who said they were scared to do something and how it turned out. And he goes, ‘OK. OK. Alright.’ He was brilliant in that movie, and it really is an amazing performance.”

Mark Wahlberg and The Rock’s film Pain & Gain was a low-budget film made with $22M, which performed well at the box office. It earned positive reviews and grossed $86 million worldwide.