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By the time the 2000s arrived, Mark Wahlberg was already a prominent name in Hollywood, thanks to Paul Thomas Anderson’sBoogie Nights. Although the fitness icon was able to grab most of the opportunities that came his way during his initial years, he did miss out on a few critical gems at the time.
Released back in 2001, sci-fi thrillerDonnie Darkolaunched Jake Gyllenhaal to stardom. But before theSpider-Man: Far From HomeStar grabbed the role, several other A-listers at the time were considered for the film, with one being Wahlberg, who had a rather unusual demand.
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Mark Wahlberg was Shown the door following his unusual demand
While Donnie Darko witnessed an awkward teenager at the forefront, initially Mark Wahlberg was eyed as the favorite to tackle the role, even though he was nearing 30 at the time. PerWhatCulture, although thePain & GainStar was interested in the project, he was only willing to play the part with a lisp. But Wahlberg’s lisp plans were denied by the director and he was shown the exit, leaving the door open for Jake Gyllenhaal, who was age-appropriate to play the character.
AlthoughDonnie Darkofailed to rack in big numbers during its theatre run, only making $7.5M at the box office, the film eventually rose to popularity years later, becoming a cult classic.
Also read:“I had to change shorts after I left that training”: Not Mark Wahlberg, Another Star Undertook Brutal Fighter Jet Training for Transformers Long Before Tom Cruise’s Top Gun 2
Mark Wahlberg missed out on another classic from 2001
Interestingly, this wasn’t the lone critically acclaimed filmMark Wahlbergpassed on in the early 2000s.Ocean’s Eleven, often considered one of the very best the heist genre has to offer, witnessed a plethora of biggies attached to the film, including Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon, etc. But the creators behind the film weren’t quite content and wanted to add more prominent names to the project, with two major stars being Mark Wahlberg and Johnny Depp, who declined the offer.
George Clooneyopened up about the matter during anOcean’s Elevenpanel (viaTHR) at the 2023 TCM Film Festival, stating that theFather StuStar regretted turning down the project. Clooney said,
“Some very famous people told us to f-ck right off. Mark Wahlberg, Johnny Depp. There were others. They regret it now.”
Also read:“Personality-wise, we didn’t fit”: Mark Wahlberg’s First Oscar Nominated Movie Turned His Co-Star Into A Rage Monster Who Lashed Out At The Director
While Wahlberg did appear inPlanet of the Apes, which was a box office hit, andRock Star, a box office bomb, back in 2001, the impact of those films’ was nowhere near to the ones he missed out on.
Donnie Darkois available to rent on Apple TV.
Source:WhatCulture,The Hollywood Reporter
Santanu Roy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2543
Santanu Roy is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 2,000 articles under his belt. He has been pursuing a degree in Animation and possesses a deep love for the medium of animation. Having spent the better part of the last two years pumping out articles for FW, Santanu excels at covering movie analysis and news surrounding Pixar, DCU, DreamWorks, and Batman’s cinematic legacy.With psychological thrillers and intimate slice-of-life dramas ranking among his favorite genres, Santanu is a big admirer of Luca Guadagnino, Shane Black, Park Chan-wook, and Brad Bird.
