Mark Wahlberg is known for his athletic build, but the actor is now packing on the pounds for a new film role.
The "Daddy's Home" star revealed on Instagram that he had already gained 20 pounds in a matter of three weeks and planned to gain another 20.
"Yes, it’s for a role," he added.
Wahlberg did not reveal the project responsible for the weight gain, but did tell Jimmy Kimmel in April that it was for the role of a fighter who decided to become a priest.
"After we do the boxing scenes, I get to put on as much weight as possible over the course of the film," he said. "So I'm challenging myself to put on 30 pounds in the next six weeks."
Wahlberg added that he was consulting with a professional who wanted him to gain weight as healthily as possible, but after following strict eating and training habits for so long, he wanted to indulge.
"Dude, I've been on such a regimen for so long, I just want to eat everything in sight," Wahlberg said. "I want to go to bakeries. I want to go to Denny's. I want to get pancakes. I want to get everything that I can possibly get my hands on."
Wahlberg is not the only one whose appearance has altered rather dramatically. Will Smith also put on some weight, although in his case it was because of lockdown and unhealthy eating habits, not for a movie. The "Men in Black" star revealed his weight gain on Instagram.
"This is the body that carried me through an entire pandemic and countless days grazing thru the pantry. I love this body, but I wanna FEEL better," he wrote in the caption of a post showing his chest, stomach, and legs. "No more midnight muffins…this is it! Imma get in the BEST SHAPE OF MY LIFE!!!!!
Meanwhile, on the opposite end of the scale, George Clooney revealed last year that he was rushed to the hospital after he lost roughly 28 pounds for his role in "The Midnight Sky."
The actor plays a cancer-stricken scientist in the post-apocalyptic sci-fi film. In preparation for the role, he went on an extreme weight loss program but ended up in the hospital with pancreatitis four days before production was meant to start in the Arctic. Clooney believes his eating habits were to blame.
"I think I was trying too hard to lose the weight quickly and probably wasn't taking care of myself," he told the U.K.'s Mirror. "It took a few weeks to get better and as a director it's not so easy because you need energy.
Clooney explained that they had been filming on a glacier in Finland, which made the work harder. And although it took a physical toll, the actor said it "certainly helped with the character."
"This is bigger than anything I’ve done before and it was like herding cats to get it done. But, you know, it was fun," he said.
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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