It was through a discussion with the man Mark Wahlberg portrays in his latest movie Lone Survivor that the actor realized how grateful he was to have his wife Rhea and his four children with him on set.
Wahlberg plays real-life Hospital Corpsman First Class Marcus Luttrell in the film that recounts the failed 2005 Navy SEALs mission “Operation Red Wings,” which took place during the War in Afghanistan.
“It’s really interesting to hear Marcus and other SEAL guys talk about when they go home to their families and they can’t discuss what they do. It’s just like trying to shut off what they just came from on some sort of mission, a special op, and then all of a sudden they’re at home and they’re taking their kids to school and they’re helping their wives make dinner,” Mark said.
“But it’s always comforting to have your family there, absolutely. They’re here now, which is nice. I asked them if they wanted to come to work and they said, ‘Daddy, your job is so boring. Absolutely not.’”
“It takes a very special individual to become a SEAL,” he said. “I felt it was so important to give the guys who never came down off that mountain their due. My wife couldn’t talk for 45 minutes after she saw the movie. All she kept thinking about were the sons and fathers and mothers and daughters out there fighting for our freedom.”
During the making of the film, Wahlberg and his co-stars Eric Bana, Emile Hirsch and Taylor Kitsch were treated like real SEAL Team soldiers which provided the actor with a greater understanding of mental strength.
“I’m 42-years-old so… As a man, I don’t want to sit on the bench; I want to be in the game. I always want the ball so you would think, but it’s not a question of a physical ability,” he explained.
“It really comes down to that mental toughness that I think sets those guys apart from a lot of other guys that can’t get through the training and graduate.”
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