Mark Wahlberg has said he was originally “pissed off” about his character in The Departed, revealing that he was supposed to play another part initially. READ MORE: The wisdom of Martin Scorsese: “I had to go through everything in order to learn” Wahlberg earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting
Actor for his role as Sergeant Dignam of the Massachusetts State
police in the film. His character works with Leonardo DiCaprio’s Billy Costigan who goes undercover to infiltrate the
Irish mob, with Jack Nicholson playing mob boss Frank Costello. Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Wahlberg revealed he was originally “supposed to play another part” and it caused him to feel “pissed” during filming he said. “I was a little pissed about a couple things but look, it all worked out in the end, I think,” Wahlberg said. “Originally I was supposed to play another part. Originally, I was supposed to get paid,” he claimed. He did not elaborate any further details about payment for the movie, which saw director Martin Scorsese earn the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Director. NME has reached out to representatives of Scorsese for comment. Other cast members of the film included
Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin, Vera Farmiga, Anthony Anderson, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, and Kevin Corrigan. Wahlberg continued: “And then even when we kind of agreed that I would play Dignam and I saw the advantages of playing that part and how I would approach the situation with everybody else playing opposite me, I then had another movie after. I was trying to grow my hair out, which is why I had that weird hair. You know, everybody’s like, what was that wig about? I was like, it was not a wig, I was just trying to grow my hair for the next film.” Wahlberg went on to say he understood Scorsese’s point of view more and that he’s glad he played the part of Dingham. “I completely understand where Marty was coming from. He had to deal with Jack, he had to deal with Matt and Leo and Alec and everything in the studio and everybody else who was in the cast and then I was supposed to be in and out in five weeks,” he says. “And so I went off to go and shoot Invincible , got my hair extensions, came back and then they were like, oh you gotta take out the extensions. I was like, [this] shit took eight hours. I’m not gonna take this out. We had a couple of issues.” Wahlberg says he’s glad he played the part of Dignam. “Ultimately, I think when I read that particular role, I was like, okay, this is, this is a good role,” he explained. “This is an opportunity for me to really kind of go off and have some fun for me. “Originally, I was just thinking, ‘okay, we gotta make this as realistic and credible as possible. It’s Boston, it’s gangster shit.’ You don’t see too many of that, those movies. And I was thinking kind of broad big picture, not necessarily my own individual goals or even the opportunity for me as an actor. And then when I read the part again, I was like, okay, there’s, there’s something here.” Last year, Wahlberg revealed details of his daily routine, including what he allows himself as a treat on his days off. The actor, who is currently was last in
Apple film The Family Plan, explained how he typically wakes up at 3:30am in order to maintain his structured work ethic and healthy lifestyle. When asked in an interview with Parade about his routine, and whether he has a cheat day, Wahlberg replied: “Yes, today was my day off. I woke up at 4:30am.” Last year, Jackass star Bam Margera partially credited the actor for helping him achieve the milestone of being 100 days sober. Publisher