Some actors just go above and beyond the call of duty in the quest of making a part their own.

Mark Wahlberg is one such actor. The Hollywood star who plays blue-collar boxer “Irish” Micky Ward in the upcoming film The Fighter, recently told CBS’ 60 Minutes that making the movie was far from easy.

Wahlberg put himself through a rigerous and grueling training schedule which included building a boxing ring in his own home and training between eight and ten hours a day. And all this without even knowing if the film was ever going to be made.

“There were certainly times where I would wake up at 4:30 in the morning, you know, my trainer would ring the bell, and, ‘Oh God,’ ” said Wahlberg, who insisted on doing his own stunts. “I’m like, ‘I better get this movie made.’ You know, ‘Kill somebody if I don’t get this movie made.’”

However Wahlberg persisted because he could see glimpses of his life story in Ward’s; both are one of nine kids and grew up in working-class Massachusetts. He also was a huge fan of Ward’s, calling him a “local sports hero.”

Doing all his own stunts in the movie resulted in him very nearly getting his nose broken on more that one occasion, but this was all part of the day job and shows Wahlberg’s true dedication to the film.

Wahlberg said that when the fights were shot, the main goal was for them to be as real as possible. And they are certainly that, just watching the trailer you can see how life like it all is and how much of himself Wahlberg put into the film.

He grew up in the Dorchester section of Boston, dropped out of school when he was 13 and used to sneak out of his bedroom window at night to drink and steal things including cars.

At age 17, he was sentenced to prison after attacking a man with a stick over two cases of beer; the man lost an eye.

“At first, I’m thinking, well, I’m one of the guys now. I made it. And then I just realized, well, this is what it means to be one of the guys. And I just wanted more out of my life,” said Wahlberg, who served 45 days behind bars and says a lot of his childhood friends are “either dead or in jail.”

After leaving prison Wahlberg turned his life around, becoming a rapper and modeling for Calvin Klein in his underwear.

Director Penny Marshall was credited with pushing Wahlberg into acting when she called him about her film Renaissance Man in which he had the part of Pvt. Tommy Lee Haywood.

“When I sat down with her, I was like, ‘Nah, I don’t wanna act.’ She goes, ‘What do you mean? You’re acting all the time, you’re acting right now. You know, you’re just acting like you’re cool, you act like a tough guy. You know, take the pages. Go outside, look ‘em over, and then come back in, and, and audition for one of the parts,’” Wahlberg said.

Wahlberg took the part and has never looked back, starring in some blockbuster movies such as Shooter, The Italian Job and Boogie Nights.

He was also nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar for The Departed in which he really showed off his acting talents.

Wahlberg says his biggest regret is not finishing high school.

“Imagine what I could have done with a real education; I’d be running whatever studio I work for now,” Wahlberg said.

He still seems to be grateful for the position that he finds himself in and when asked how he defines himself, the actor replies: “A lucky son of a bitch.”

View the trailer

Source: THR