Actor Mark Wahlberg Shares His Faith In New Movie

This is one fundamental truth Mark Wahlberg wants the world to know and that’s every person has a past and every sinner has hope.

Mark Wahlberg is starring in a new movie called “Father Stu,”  which is a new film that tells the true story of Stuart Long, a bad-boy fighter who lived out God’s calling on his life despite enormous obstacles, including criticism from his household, the Catholic Church, and including his own health.

Father Stu’s legacy is as simple as people doing good for other people. See @FatherStuMovie exclusively in theaters Wednesday. https://t.co/GTyz3wGMRF pic.twitter.com/V6m3xxQiOl

— Mark Wahlberg (@markwahlberg) April 9, 2022

The Christian Post interviewed Wahlberg and released these details:

“[God is] looking for the people who have real experience and can appreciate being touched and given another chance,” Wahlberg reflected. “That’s why Stu is so effective. He had an authenticity and credibility when he spoke to people; they knew that he had been in their shoes at one time or another. It’s one thing to be book smart, another thing to have real street smarts and real-life experience. I’ve always found that invaluable when playing roles and trying to be as authentic as possible in my portrayal of parts that I’ve played.”

Not coincidentally, “Father Stu” opened in theaters on Wednesday during Holy Week, ending on Easter Sunday. Rated R, the film also stars Jacki Weaver and Mel Gibson as Stu’s estranged parents.

Wahlberg compares Stu’s life to his own and believes the two are parallels in many ways. In fact, he is the first to admit that he has seen directly the transformative power of forgiveness.

Mark Wahlberg’s new film “Father Stu” is one of the most theologically interesting films to come out in a long time.

— Bishop Robert Barron (@BishopBarron) April 12, 2022

In his adolescence, Wahlberg struggled with his identity and spent 45 days in jail for attacking two Asian men during an attempted armed robbery turned hate crime. After his release, Wahlberg married and became a dedicated father of four children. According to his own admission, the Boston native was “an absolute trainwreck” as a result of his cocaine habit.

Now that he’s a man of faith, the Academy Award-nominated actor has turned his life around. He now heads a nonprofit that aids troubled youngsters.

“I want to convey all of the real-life experiences I’ve had, and I have let others know that it’s OK. Every hero has a story to tell, and every sinner has a story to tell as well. Consequently, we’re attempting to inspire folks and assure them that we are not abandoning them. Everyone has a chance to be saved.

Alongside Wahlberg in the film is legendary actor and filmmaker Mel Gibson. In his own comments about the film, Gibson stated everyone is “drag[ing] some kind of mountain, some kind of burden, in some element of our existence and I believe that we are at our best when we are dealing with that stuff.”

Gibson is right we don’t find out who we really are or how strong our faith is until we are tested. Next time you are in a difficult situation thank God for the test and ask for endurance to overcome the test and not ask for an escape rope out of it.