There are loads of stars to reject or get rejected from movie roles for silly and stupid reasons. Mark Wahlberg can also be counted for that. Despite his decade-long successful career, he did make some choices that made the lose some iconic roles.

Wahlberg has a trajectory of successful movies, there is no doubt about that. Establishing himself as an action star and appearing in several action comedies, he has dominated the box office on multiple occasions. But there are some downsides too, the actor has lost some roles and he may still regret that.

Mark Wahlberg Was Supposed To Be Featured in Donnie Darko


Mark Wahlberg

Mark Wahlberg could have been the leading face of  Richard Kelly’s 2001 sci-fi fantasy, Donnie Darko. But his strange demand kept him out of the film. It is obvious that the iconic role in the cult classic made Jake Gyllenhaal’s career.

Despite box office failure, grossing only $7.5 million, the film has created a legacy and is still remembered as one of the best movies of Hollywood’s history.

Gyllenhaal was perfect in the role and it is hard to imagine Wahlberg playing Donnie Darko in the film as he turned thirty when the film was released, it would be odd for him to play 16-year-old Donnie. It would have been a completely different vibe with the Ted actor in it, better or worse, he did not get the role.

As per reports, The Transformers star demanded his own version of the character as he pitched the idea of Donnie Darko with a lisp but it was not Kelly’s creative vision of the character.

The director rejected the idea which prompted Wahlberg to step out of the movie. When Gyllenhaal (19-year-old at the time) took over the role, the course of the movie changed. Perhaps, Kelly’s vision of the character also remained intact.

October Sky Secured Jake Gyllenhaal’s Donnie Darko Role

Jake Gyllenhaal Replaced Mark Wahlberg in Donnie Darko

Of course, the director himself was making his Hollywood debut with the film. As he told The Guardian, the movie was very difficult and exciting at the same time for Kelly.

Donnie Darko director Kelly had different actors in mind for the film. Earlier, Vince Vaughn and Wahlberg were in talks for the role while Jason Schwartzman was his original choice for the director. Eventually, the role went to Gyllenhaal after seeing his remarkable performance in October Sky.

“We originally had Jason Schwartzman as Donnie, but he had other commitments. We met with Vince Vaughn four times, but he wasn’t comfortable playing 16.

Mark Wahlberg was in the running, too. But Jake Gyllenhaal had just starred in October Sky and carried the whole movie. Though not a household name, he clearly had talent.”

Like Wahlberg, it would be weird to see the Delivery Man star, Vaughn in the Donnie Darko role. Perhaps, it turns out to be best for Vaughn too as he realized the intensity of weirdness playing the 16-year-old character of a high-schooler.

But, Wahlberg’s reason was never the age factor, even though Kelly did not reveal the exact reason, certainly the reason described by the source sounds really absurd.