Mark Wahlberg joined the star cast of the 2006 Oscar-winning film The Departed. Featuring stars like Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Vera Farmiga, the film was received very well both critically and commercially.

It went on to win four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. While it turned out very well, things were not the same for Wahlberg and the director of the movie Martin Scorsese while it was filming.

Mark Wahlberg
The Uncharted actor shared that he and Scorsese used to have some serious arguments as they constantly butted heads with each other. And at one point, they both even started cursing at each other.

Mark Wahlberg Faced Major Problems on The Departed

The remake of the Hong Kong film Internal Affairs, Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, featured a very accomplished cast. Mark Wahlberg, who portrayed Sergeant Sean Dignam, gave one of his lauded performances in the movie, for which he also received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 79th Academy Awards.

Mark Wahlberg in The Departed

However, his experience working on the film was not quite enjoyable for him as he and the film’s director were at odds with each other. During a 2007 interview with The Telegraph, the Ted star shared that he had problems with the Oscar-winning director. “Marty and I were constantly in this struggle,” he shared.

The reason behind their disagreements was due to Wahlberg’s hairstyle. He shared that he was expected to work only for a few weeks on The Departed. So he grew his hair for the 2006 sports drama Invincible. However, things did not go as planned, and his schedule for both films ended up colliding.
Invincible (2006)
Scorsese wanted Wahlberg to cut his hair. “He was like, ‘You’ve got to cut your f*cking hair,’ and I was, ‘I don’t give a f*ck,’” the Shooter star shared, saying that he refused to follow Martin Scorsese direction, leading to constant frustrations on the set. And his co-stars also often came under his radar.

Mark Wahlberg Did Not Want to Star in Martin Scorsese’s Film

Mark Wahlberg initially turned down the offer for the 2006 crime thriller directed by Martin Scorsese. His agent, who assumed that he would accept the offer, was unaware that the Boogie Nights star would reject the proposal. During an interview with GQ, Wahlberg shared that initially, he was not interested in making the film.
Mark Wahlberg and Martin Scorsese on the set of The Departed
And when he received a call from the director telling him that he was excited to work on the film, he said, “I’m not doing the movie.” He shared that he had certain conditions that the studio and director didn’t agree on. However, on his agent’s suggestion, he agreed to meet the Goodfellas director and discuss the project in person.