Actor Mark Wahlberg revealed the intense process behind keeping himself in top physical shape, as well as how Father Stu impacted his health.
“Tomorrow I’m getting up 2:30, in the gym 3:30, finish about 5:30, go to work 7:30,” Wahlberg told Fox News, adding that there’s “a lot of prayer” in between. While working, the actor focuses on “reading, script work, then… a bunch of interviews.”
“Then I’m finishing work. I probably won’t eat a meal until – last meal today [was] 6, so tomorrow probably noontime,” Wahlberg stated. Not only does he base his mealtimes around the previous day, but he opts for an earlier bedtime as well. 7:30 p.m., to be exact.
“I would say it’s easier to stay in shape than it is to get in shape,” the actor added. “I put on 30 pounds… that was really difficult. I’m not getting younger.”
Of course, this weight gain was for Father Stu. In the film, he plays Fr. Stuart Long, who went from a boxer to a priest. Wahlberg referred to the role as the “most important” he’s ever played. Father Stu releases on Good Friday.
“Unfortunately, I had to consume, for two weeks, 7,000 calories, and then for another two weeks, 11,000 calories,” Wahlberg said at the time. “Even when you’re full, I would wake up after a meal to have another meal. I was eating every three hours. It was not fun. Once the metabolism starts to slow down, it gets really difficult. I was trying to get this movie made for six years, we only had 30 days to shoot it, and so I wanted to really make it happen.”
However, after the weight gain, Wahlberg once again hit the gym.
Mark Wahlberg’s Workout Is Too Intense For One Costar
While Wahlberg’s dedication to fitness is certainly admirable, his friend Kevin Hart found the actor’s workout a bit too involved.
“I don’t want to be in your space, I don’t need you in mine,” Hart explained. “I love that you go at it, but we’re on two different wavelengths of time and schedule. Although Mark’s an early riser, but we never mention it. Then he’ll throw the occasional like, ‘Hey Kev, maybe we should work out.’ And I’m very honest, ‘No, I don’t want to.’ Mark’s like, ‘We should get one in.’ I was like, ‘No we don’t. I think our relationship is great, and I don’t want you to go in there, and we try to impress each other and hurt ourselves.’”
He then added, “That’s how it happens. He’s lifting a certain weight then I try to do the same thing. Next thing you know, I throw my back out. I don’t need to be around that. I like to be by myself and with my one trainer that I can yell back at from time to time.”
Even so, Hart admired the work ethic of his friend; he just didn’t want to work out right next to him.
