Why Packing On The Pounds For New Christian Movie Wasn’t A Ton Of Fun For Mark Wahlberg

Hollywood superstar Mark Wahlberg gained a whopping 30 pounds for his upcoming role in the Christian movie Father Stu, in which he plays a boxer who goes on a faith-based journey to become a priest. Now, Wahlberg is opening up about not only how he physically prepared for this role but also how he felt afterwards. 

Backstory: Mark Wahlberg To Star In Faith-Based Film About A Boxer-Turned-Priest

But first, check out a trailer for Father Stu below. 

Mark Wahlberg Gains 30 Pounds For Father Stu Role

As a former model for Calvin Klein (remember the campaign below?), it wasn’t that easy for Wahlberg to give up his usual grueling fitness routine to gain weight. 

“I would say it’s easier to stay in shape than it is to get in shape,” confessed Wahlberg, 50, according to Fox News. “I put on 30 pounds… that was really difficult. I’m not getting younger.”

Wahlberg went in depth about the high-calorie routine he took on for this role back in July. Take a look at the transformation he went through last summer.

“Unfortunately, I had to consume, for two weeks, 7,000 calories, and then for another two weeks, 11,000 calories,” Wahlberg said. “Even when you’re full, I would wake up after a meal to have another meal. I was eating every three hours. It was not fun.”

Gaining And Losing Weight For Roles Harder With Age

Wahlberg went on to say that as he’s gotten older, gaining and losing weight for roles has only gotten harder. 

“Once the metabolism starts to slow down, it gets really difficult,” the star explained. “I was trying to get this movie made for six years, we only had 30 days to shoot it, and so I wanted to really make it happen.”

“And [I] was also crazy to have financed a lot of it myself,” he added. “So I knew I was on a ticking clock on my own dime, and you get things done pretty quickly when that’s the case.”

Related: Mark Wahlberg And Mel Gibson’s New Faith-Based Movie ‘Father Stu’ Also Features ‘Yellowstone’ Star

Mark Wahlberg Was Initially Excited By Unhealthy Diet

In May of last year, Wahlberg shocked his fans by revealing that he planned to gain 30 pounds in six weeks for what turned out to be this role by eating a “20-piece chicken nugget and 20-piece hot wings from Kentucky Fried Chicken with a six-pack of beer.”

At the time, Wahlberg was excited by the prospect of this diet.

“I’m like, ‘Dude, I’ve been on such a regimen for so long, I just want to eat everything in sight,’” he said at the time. “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 could possibly get my hands on.”

Clearly, the process of putting on the pounds wasn’t as fun for Wahlberg as he had hoped.

The 50-year-old actor has since returned to the gym, and his female fans will be pleased to see that his ripped physique is already back, as he showed in this video posted to his Instagram at the end of January. 

“Had to whisper to not upset my wife for not wearing a shirt,” Wahlberg jokingly wrote in the caption.

We’ve seen Wahlberg transform from hip hop artist to A-list actor and take on many roles through the years. Whether it’s playing a Navy SEAL in ‘Lone Survivor’ or underdog in ‘Invincible’, the Boston native really goes all out for his craft!

I don’t know about you… but I can’t wait to see Mark Wahlberg’s transformation in Father Stu when it comes out this Easter!