20th Century Fox
So he turned down the movie. Oh, Marky Mark, what silliness will you get up to next? So J.J. Abrams’s reboot of the Star Trek universe has proven to be a tremendous success, with a sequel on the way and the director also being given the keys to the new Star Wars movies just to rub it in. You would think that just about every actor in Hollywood would be lining up to work with him – hell, just the action figure money alone would be enough to buy a new Lambo. So what would keep Mark Wahlberg away from Star Trek? Not understanding the script.
Total Film interviewed Wahlberg in advance of his new flick Broken City (which looks all right), but the conversation strayed, as it tends to do, to other topics. When asked about his feelings about the new Star Wars flicks, Wahlberg let drop that J.J. Abrams actually was pursuing him for the role of Kirk’s father in the 2009 film. The quote that he gives describing the experience is absolutely priceless.
“I tried to read the script and I didn’t understand the words, the dialogue or anything. I said, ‘I couldn’t do this. I think you’re really talented, but I couldn’t do it.’ Then I saw the movie and I was like ‘Holy sh*t, he did a great job.’ I probably wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to work with J.J. again. So, if he wanted me to do something that I couldn’t fully understand, I’d probably give it a shot.”
Wahlberg, of course, is famous for being a high school dropout (he finished his GED after filming The Fighter), but seriously. How complicated is acting in a Star Trek movie? You show up, get some nerd to teach you how to pronounce the Klingon or whatever, and call it a day. Chris Hemsworth eventually got the part.