Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg sat down with Fox News Contributor Raymond Arroyo for a one-on-one interview on his upcoming film, "Father Stu," his faith, and his views on cancel culture.
Fox News Channel's "The Ingraham Angle" released on Wednesday the exclusive interview of Arroyo with Wahlberg held in Los Angeles.
Christianity Daily previously reported that Wahlberg will be starring in a movie about a former athlete who became a priest, the late Fr. Stuart Long. The movie, which is a team up with "The Passion Of The Christ" Director Mel Gibson, who played a supporting role to Wahlberg's, will be released on Good Friday, April 15.
Arroyo described "Father Stu" as an "intensely personal movie for Wahlberg" who "spent years trying to bring it to the screen. He explained that Wahlberg was able to relate to the story of Long because of the former's own "struggles with the law and the redemption he found on the far side of suffering" through his faith.
In the actual interview, Wahlberg disclosed the movie took six years to make. This was after Arroyo asked why the former took so long to be cast in a religious movie.
"Mark, you are a man of prayer. You--I know you said your faith is everything to you. You go to mass each week. Why did it take you so long to do a movie with faith at its center?" Arroyo asked.
"It was just about finding the right story to tell at the right time. These movies are not easy to get made. It took actually six years to get made," Wahlberg responded.
Wahlberg elaborated that the pandemic brought a lot of "uncertainty" to his life as it did to the rest of the world. So much, he said, happened that entailed a lot of loss, especially the loss of so many people he loves that included his mother and one of his sisters. Arroyo then asked about the movie and mentioned how Father Stu's loss of "mobility over his body" ended up as the very "vehicle of his redemption."
"It's probably the most unpredictable movie ever. I mean, obviously, we told them that he was a fighter, he tried to become an actor, and then he went into the priesthood. But it is so unlike that. I mean, nothing better than showing somebody the movie that has no idea what they're watching," Wahlberg responded.
The movie's teaser was shown before Arroyo asked Wahlberg his thoughts upon seeing the script for the first time. Wahlberg disclosed that Long's life story presented him a view of his "past."
"Wow, I--so many things. Obviously, my past. But also, my present and my looking for my purpose, you know? Obviously, God has continued to bless me and put me in the situation, you know, not to continue to grow and work on Mark Wahlberg, the person, but to do His work and give me--finally giving me the skills and the tools to go out there and articulate the message that He wants me to--" Wahlberg shared.
"See, I would say both your story and Father Stu's are ultimately redemptive stories and they're hard-won redemptive stories," Arroyo underscored.
"Yeah, yeah. That's why the scene in the prison was so important to me and I think the most pivotal, because it's about not giving up. It's about not giving up," Wahlberg highlighted.
In addition to the movie, Wahlberg also revealed that it is not up to him to "judge" others on the issue of the cancel culture. He did agree with Arroyo that people are quick to judge others and cancel them for making a single mistake. He said this often happens when someone has stuff in one's closet that one needs to worry about.
Wahlberg pointed out that everyone makes a mistake. Personally, he admits making a lot of mistakes such that he started to turn his life around at the age of 16. He said he strives daily to make his life right and expressed hopes that when his time for "judgment comes," he will "pass" it and "get to go."
