Mark Wahlberg discusses plan to gain 30 pounds in six weeks for upcoming role

By Megan Armstrong | Last updated 4/12/21

Mark Wahlberg is just showing off at this point.

What's wrong with sleeping in, Marky Mark?

The 49-year-old actor, producer and businessman took time out of his absurdly busy schedule to visit The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and he revealed his equally absurd workout routine that requires him to wake up at 2:30 a.m. to prepare for his latest film role:

Wahlberg joined Jimmy Kimmel Live last week and spoke more in-depth about the new film, which started filming Monday.

"I got up this morning about 3 o'clock, we worked out after my prayer time, and we're back into the boxing ring," the two-time Oscar nominee said. "There's a bit of boxing in the movie, so I had some boxing training."

Wahlberg added: "I'm playing a guy who was a fighter. He was many things. He was a fighter. He moved to L.A. to become an actor. He fell in love with a girl. He kind of had an accident. He had an out-of-body spiritual experience. He decided to become a priest. He died of a rare disease [inclusion body myositis], but he had a big impact on a lot of people in a very short amount of time. So, it's quite the story."

The Boston native also noted that he's "challenging myself to put on 30 pounds in the next six weeks."

One of Wahlberg's Oscar nominations came in the form of The Fighter (2010), as it was up for best picture. He was the lead in the biographical boxing drama, with Christian Bale and Melissa Leo each winning an Oscar for best supporting actor and best supporting actress respectively.

While this new unnamed boxing-esque film seems a ways away from release, Wahlberg's HBO Max documentary Wahl Street will drop Thursday. Watch the trailer below.