Mark Wahlberg says Penny Marshall pushed him to become an actor

Mark Wahlberg says a key moment in his career came from advice given by late director Penny Marshall.

In a recent interview on SiriusXM, Wahlberg explained that he had not planned to become an actor. At the time, he was known as “Marky Mark,” a rapper with the Funky Bunch. That changed when he met Marshall, who cast him in her 1994 film Renaissance Man.

Wahlberg recalled that Marshall told him directly that his rap career was not working and that he was already acting without realizing it. She encouraged him to try acting instead. During that meeting, he read for several roles and later traveled to Los Angeles to continue preparing for the film.

Renaissance Man, which starred Danny DeVito and Gregory Hines, became one of Wahlberg’s first acting roles. Around the same time, music video director Scott Kalvert also encouraged him to pursue acting and later directed him in The Basketball Diaries (1995) alongside Leonardo DiCaprio.

Wahlberg’s acting career grew quickly after that. He later starred in films such as Fear (1996), Boogie Nights, and The Other Guys. He has since received two Academy Award nominations.

Wahlberg said that without Marshall’s guidance, he might not have entered acting. After her death in 2018, he publicly thanked her for her support and influence on his career.