Mark Wahlberg had hair 'issues' filming The Departed

25 March 2024

Mark Wahlberg had some hair "issues" while filming 'The Departed'.

Mark Wahlberg has opened up about the issues he faced while filming The Departed

The 52-year-old actor played undercover cop Sean Dignam in Martin Scorsese's 2006 crime drama but he's now revealed he was originally supposed to take on another part but his role was changed prior to filming while he has also claimed he wasn't paid for his work and clashed with the team over his longer locks.

During an appearance on Josh Horowitz’s 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast, Wahlberg explained: "I was a little [angry] about a couple things but look, it all worked out in the end, I think.

"Originally I was supposed to play another part. Originally, I was supposed to get paid.

"And then even when we kind of agreed that I would play Dignam and I saw the advantages of playing that part and how I would approach the situation with everybody else playing opposite me, I then had another movie after."

Wahlberg went on to reveal his next role in 'Invincible' led to "issues" over his hair style. He added: "I was trying to grow my hair out, which is why I had that weird hair. You know, everybody’s like, what was that wig about? I was like, it was not a wig, I was just trying to grow my hair for the next film."

However, Wahlberg insists he can understand that Scorsese was in a difficult position dealing with such a star-studded cast. He added: "I completely understand where Marty was coming from. He had to deal with Jack [Nicholson], he had to deal with Matt [Damon] and Leo [DiCaprio] and Alec [Baldwin] and everything in the studio and everybody else who was in the cast and then I was supposed to be in and out in five weeks."

However, he still ended up facing issues over his hair.

Wahlberg went on: "So I went off to go and shoot 'Invincible', got my hair extensions, came back and then they were like, oh you gotta take out the extensions. I was like, [this] shit took eight hours. I’m not gonna take this out. We had a couple of issues."

He went on to land his first Oscar nomination for his role in 'The Departed' and now looks back on the job with pride.

The actor added: "Ultimately, I think when I read that particular role, I was like, OK, this is, this is a good role. This is an opportunity for me to really kind of go off and have some fun for me.

"Originally, I was just thinking, ok, we gotta make this as realistic and credible as possible. It’s Boston, it’s gangster [stuff]. You don’t see too many of that, those movies.

"And I was thinking kind of broad big picture, not necessarily my own individual goals or even the opportunity for me as an actor. And then when I read the part again, I was like, 'OK, there’s, there’s something here'."