Mark Wahlberg Is Bald and Nearly Unrecognizable On Movie Set: ‘No Bald Cap For Me’
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Mark Wahlberg is nearly unrecognizable on the set of Flight Risk, set to be released on October 18. The 53-year-old actor, known for his unwavering dedication to his roles, has taken his commitment to authenticity to new heights in this upcoming action thriller directed by Mel Gibson.
On Wednesday, Wahlberg posted a shirtless photo on Instagram, revealing a dramatic new look with the middle part of his hair shaved. “No bald cap for me???????? we go all in @flightriskmovie October 18th ????????????,” Wahlberg captioned the post, underscoring his devotion to getting every detail of his character right.
In Flight Risk, Wahlberg portrays a balding pilot tasked with transporting an air marshal, played by Michelle Dockery, and a fugitive, portrayed by Topher Grace, to a trial. As they traverse the rugged Alaskan wilderness, tensions rise, and suspicions about the pilot’s true intentions begin to surface. A key moment in the trailer, released on June 27, shows Wahlberg’s character losing his baseball cap, revealing his bald head.
Wahlberg shared that his transformation for the role involved shaving the top part of his head every day. “There was no bald cap. I shaved the middle and left the horseshoe around the sides. We just shaved it,” he told People. “They would shave the top as close to the scalp as possible every day, obviously, because we didn’t have any stubble or anything. So I just hid it with a hat.”
He added, “But the most priceless thing was seeing my wife’s face when I took my hat off after getting the haircut for work that day.”
The filming of Flight Risk spanned 22 days, during which Wahlberg maintained his shaved look. While his wife, Rhea Durham, had a notable reaction to his temporary appearance, Wahlberg’s children found it amusing. “My kids — my boys especially — they loved the haircut,” he shared. “They got a lot of laughs out of that.” Wahlberg and Durham share four children: sons Michael and Brendan, and daughters Ella and Grace.
This isn’t the first time Wahlberg has fully committed to a role. In April 2022, ahead of the release of Father Stu, Wahlberg spoke to ET’s Cassie DiLaura about gaining 30 pounds in six weeks to portray Father Stuart Long, a real-life boxer-turned-priest.
“I had six weeks to put on about 30 pounds. I started with 7,000 calories for the first two weeks and then 11,000 calories for the final four weeks,” Wahlberg said. “None of it was fun, except for the first meal was amazing, because I hadn’t eaten anything up until that point. But after that, when you’re already full and you have to eat again, and at my age it’s just not a healthy thing to do, to try to put on that kind of weight in that amount of time.”
He elaborated on the grueling process, which included consuming large quantities of food and even drinking olive oil by the glass. “I wasn’t eating anything that you would think, ‘Oh my God, I get to sit on the couch and eat ice cream and pizzas,'” he explained. “… I tried to do it in a healthy way. It was a dozen eggs and a dozen pieces of bacon, two baked potatoes, a Porterhouse steak, two bowls of white rice, and a glass of olive oil. The first two weeks were high proteins. The second two weeks were a lot of carbs. The last two weeks starches, and then sodium, just to kind of get as bloated as possible. So not a lot of fun.”
Flight Risk is set to be released on October 18, promising an intense and thrilling cinematic experience. Mark Wahlberg’s bold transformation and dedication to his craft once again demonstrate why he remains one of Hollywood’s most respected and versatile actors.
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