The ZOO Q&A: Mark Wahlberg!

Your new film, The Happening, has some grisly scenes. Did any of them freak you out?
Oh yeah! The scene with builders walking off the scaffolding and hitting the pavement; the one with the lions eating a guy’s arms and the truck scene, where the camera cuts outside the jeep and they floor it into a tree. I wasn’t expecting that! I read the script 100 times, but as I’m not in any of those scenes, I didn’t see the footage until I saw the movie. I had to look away every time! My girlfriend freaked out. But that’s M Night Shyamalan (the director) for you. He loves to scare people!

You were given two years for assault when you were a kid. What would the old Mark think of the new one?
He’d beat the shit out of him! He’d knock him down, take his wallet and tell him to go back to wherever he came from!

Are you still mates with any guys from your old neighbourhood?
Yeah, the few that are still alive! After getting out of jail, it was hard to survive in my area because I was no longer one of the “guys”. I’d turned my life around, so I was a “pussy”. It was fucked up. I was still concerned about what those people thought 10 years after I’d left! I almost didn’t do Boogie Nights because I was worried what the guys
might think when they saw me crying and being weak. But then I thought, “Fuck them!”

Was there anybody in jail who helped you do your time?
There was this one woman who went from jail to jail helping people. She was like an angel. When she met me, she said she’d never seen anyone so young inside: I was 17 but I looked about 12! A year after I got out, I was making an album in California and my brother hired this guy to baby-sit me. One day we had to stop off at his house and this same woman walked into the kitchen. I went, “Jesus, man, I know your mother!” He was like, “Shut the fuck up!” The best part is, that guy is now immortalised as Johnny Drama on Entourage!

Talking of Entourage, how realistic is it? It’s based on your life, isn’t it?
I lived that life, but things have changed completely for me now. My life is as boring as it could get, and I’m thrilled at that!

Is it true you turned down the chance to be in the Ocean’s films?
Yeah - and it was well worth it! The second one sucked! People tell George Clooney it’s great, but we all know it sucked. I made two bad movies instead - Planet Of The Apes and The Truth About Charlie - but doing that was better than sitting with Brad and George, telling the press how great everybody is! “We were in Europe, George was funny, then we had some wine…” - that’s not for me. I do love those guys, but I had to step out on my own.

You once said you were going to become a pro golfer when you turned 40. Are you really that good?
I hit the ball a long way - I’ve out-driven Ernie Els a few times. I’ve played with him and Vijay Singh. Last time I played with Vijay, he was convinced I had a caddy dropping balls on the fairway because I was putting them past his by about 20 or 30 yards. The thing is, it’s all about the short game. That’s why I stuck a putting green next door to my house!

I should get Vijay and Ernie in the boxing ring or on a basketball court - then I’d show them a thing or two! They’re one-trick ponies! Take the club out of their hand and they ain’t got nothing!

You had a successful rap career as Marky Mark. Did you pave the way for Eminem, or undo all the good work the Beastie Boys had done?
Ha ha! I try and look back on it with fondness, but whenever I’m reminded of it, I get really embarrassed. I was watching a show called Sexy People Of The ’90s the other day with my brother. It turned out I was No1, so whenever he calls me now, he says, “Can I speak to the Sexiest Man Of The ’90s please?” I sounded like such a punk back then. I thought I was the coolest guy in the world, but really I was just a jackass! And, no, I don’t fancy going back to music. I’ll leave that to New Kids On The Block!

The Happening is out on 13 June