Sadly, we've gotten used to Hollywood muckety-mucks not actually playing through the source material when they're creating a movie based on a video game. But Mark Wahlberg's answer as to why he's avoided Max Payne while playing the title role in the film is almost breathtaking as both evasion and backhanded insult.
"I didn't want to play because I have an addictive personality," he told People Magazine. "I got more responsibility now than I've ever had with the kids and everything else. I don't want to be spending 14 hours on the videogame and then eight hours on the set. It's not going to work out."
That's right, video game fans: With one wrong decision, Mark Wahlberg could have turned into you, and that's just not a risk he's willing to take.
Reader Comments (77)
Posted: Jul 28th 2008 6:05PM FredFredrickson said
I don't blame him. The first time you fall off of the awkward platforming elements in the dream sequence, the game should just shut down and uninstall itself automatically - no human being should be put through that.
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Posted: Jul 28th 2008 6:26PM puerrican85 said
Aaaaah why Marty?!? Why??? That just brought bad memories... >
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Posted: Jul 28th 2008 6:40PM (Unverified) said
You sound personally attacked, McElroy. Between this and your bashing of 90% everything Wii related, you are quickly becoming one of my least tolerable Joystiq contributors.
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Posted: Jul 28th 2008 6:41PM aristokrat said
I don't even remember the platforming. I just remember how creepy that scene was, with the baby constantly screaming in the background. I seem to be one of the only people who thought that part was effective in creating tension/discomfort and not just utter crap.
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Posted: Jul 28th 2008 7:27PM Haggard said
@Co - The Wii is a machine for people who don't know what games are, and Justin was spot on in this article. Your opinion doesn't even matter, it simply exists.
@Marty - I didn't mind the platforming section in the dream; it was a little awkward but didn't take more than 3 attempts. Besides, the atmosphere in the dream section was amazing.
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@Marty - I didn't mind the platforming section in the dream; it was a little awkward but didn't take more than 3 attempts. Besides, the atmosphere in the dream section was amazing.
Posted: Jul 28th 2008 9:02PM Saria the Cat said
I didn't need the game to shut down and uninstall itself---I did that myself.
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Posted: Oct 19th 2008 3:20PM (Unverified) said
"I seem to be one of the only people who thought that part was effective in creating tension/discomfort"
I thought it was, too! The first time i saw it. When it was about the 5th it made me want to remove my friend's disc and hurl it out the window.
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I thought it was, too! The first time i saw it. When it was about the 5th it made me want to remove my friend's disc and hurl it out the window.
Posted: Aug 29th 2008 3:23AM (Unverified) said
did you even play the first game? the second game, yes, very short. the first game took me at least a week! 2, now that i think back. maybe i dont have your elite skills but i came out of that game extremely satisfied and it wasnt a short experience.
maybe you ran through everything and skipped all the graphic novel sequences?
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maybe you ran through everything and skipped all the graphic novel sequences?
Posted: Jul 28th 2008 6:42PM aristokrat said
You do realize this was Marky Mark? I think he's still running from his past, which will makes him excellently qualified for the role of Mr. Payne.
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Posted: Jul 28th 2008 6:08PM mezzaninex said
ACTUALLY, the game is only about 9 hours, Mark. He doesn't need to play it for the movie to be good. I doubt Milla Jovovovich ever played Resident Evil.
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Posted: Jul 28th 2008 6:30PM (Unverified) said
Uh....
"Do you like zombie movies?
I dont really watch zombie movies. I mean this is kinda what it is for me. It is very much in its own world. Me and my brother used to play Resident Evil the game all the time which is how I discovered this whole world. I never watched zombie movies but I played the games with him."
http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_12589.html
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"Do you like zombie movies?
I dont really watch zombie movies. I mean this is kinda what it is for me. It is very much in its own world. Me and my brother used to play Resident Evil the game all the time which is how I discovered this whole world. I never watched zombie movies but I played the games with him."
http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_12589.html
Posted: Jul 28th 2008 9:14PM (Unverified) said
Milla Jovovich was 21 and filming The 5th Element when the first R.E. was released. Not that she was'nt sitting around playing video games with her brother. I just do not see it. They way she says "Me and my brother used to play Resident Evil the game all the time which is how I discovered this whole world." I bet she never played it.
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Posted: Jul 28th 2008 6:09PM (Unverified) said
This is a non-issue. If the writer or director didn't then that's something. All Mr. Wahlberg has to do is play pretend... playing the game not required.
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Posted: Jul 28th 2008 9:03PM (Unverified) said
Thank you for being logical about this. Unfortunately, your use of logic and general thinking skills is not acceptable for use in comments to Joystiq posts. Please remove your post before the fanboys kill you.
-Joystiq Reader Protection Services
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-Joystiq Reader Protection Services
Posted: Jul 29th 2008 6:50AM Lolthien said
You realize his NOT TURNING INTO US.. that is a plus right.. that is a point in his favor. He obsesses about his job and his family, things which might actually pay off in time.. video games? What do they bring us? NOTHING!!!! I HATE MYSELF!!!
Also, I apparently need to get some Prozac or something. Shit.
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Also, I apparently need to get some Prozac or something. Shit.
Posted: Jul 28th 2008 6:11PM dabamf said
I am certain that Jason Statham hasn't played Dungeon Siege; however, "In the Name of the King" represents one of the top 3 movie experiences in my life, so I'm not worried about Max Payne. (Thank you, Uwe Boll, thank you.)
My #1 experience might be "Shoot Em Up."
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My #1 experience might be "Shoot Em Up."
Posted: Jul 28th 2008 6:29PM (Unverified) said
........... You're kidding right?... Please say you are...
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Posted: Jul 28th 2008 6:31PM ThePCRehabLLC said
Oh i Have seen it.... thats why I was hoping you were kidding... Now that I know you are not kidding all I have to say is... well, I have no words.
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Posted: Jul 28th 2008 6:35PM (Unverified) said
Hell IS funny. There's nothing better than having a party with Satan. You're on fire!
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Posted: Jul 28th 2008 6:18PM Ethan said
Since when was 'having a go' so monumentally difficult? Can't he just skip the hard bits or watch somebody else do it? Five hours or so and he'd have such a greater idea of where he should be coming from.
Addictive personality? Trait number 1 in an actor should be self-discipline.
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Addictive personality? Trait number 1 in an actor should be self-discipline.
Posted: Jul 28th 2008 6:51PM aristokrat said
Yeah, this just seems like willful ignorance. If you have the ability to see the source material, why wouldn't you check it out? I agree, video of the gameplay (or even just the cut-scenes) would show you how the character was originally created and what inspired the choice to make this a movie in the first place! To do otherwise is like a lawyer saying he doesn't need to read the case because his assistant explained it to him while they were crapping adjacently before court.
It's his freaking job to know the character; he's not getting paid to take care of his kids. If he can't do both of them well, then he shouldn't be allowed to just half-ass it. I wonder if this is how he treats his kids. "No son, I can't come watch you play in your baseball game today. I have SO MANY responsibilities, and I can just get someone to tell me about it. We both know daddy has an addictive personality, and we don't want him betting on your batting average again do we?"
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It's his freaking job to know the character; he's not getting paid to take care of his kids. If he can't do both of them well, then he shouldn't be allowed to just half-ass it. I wonder if this is how he treats his kids. "No son, I can't come watch you play in your baseball game today. I have SO MANY responsibilities, and I can just get someone to tell me about it. We both know daddy has an addictive personality, and we don't want him betting on your batting average again do we?"
Posted: Jul 28th 2008 6:29PM beddoes said
Purely from an acting point of view i think its terrible that an actor has not explored the most basic foundations of his character, when you hear of actors going into solitary to prepare for a role, or finding employment in low pay jobs to really get into their character, playing a computer game does not seem like too much to ask!
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Posted: Jul 28th 2008 6:35PM (Unverified) said
Mark Wahlberg's too busy working on a sequel to Marky Mark: Make My Video titled "Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch: Blood on the Sand."
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Posted: Jul 28th 2008 6:32PM (Unverified) said
Heath Ledger never read batman comics (or any for that matter) and look at what he did with the joker... who gives a crap if wahlberg hasn't played the game?
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Posted: Jul 28th 2008 6:43PM (Unverified) said
Posted: Jul 28th 2008 6:52PM Lijik said
Theres one major flaw with this reasoning. Heath spent a month in solitary confinement developing the character, his voice, mannerisms, even writing a diary as if he spent the day as the Joker. Even if he didn't read the comics, Heath took major time out of his life to develop his own interpretation of the character. Thats a rather large commitment to his craft.
Mark here is whining about potentially spending 9-10 max hours playing a video game. Something tells me he wouldn't have spent a month alone to develop Max Payne either.
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Mark here is whining about potentially spending 9-10 max hours playing a video game. Something tells me he wouldn't have spent a month alone to develop Max Payne either.
Posted: Jul 28th 2008 7:07PM (Unverified) said
I actually thought he was pretty decent in The Departed.
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Posted: Jul 28th 2008 6:32PM Mental Issues said
Wait, so is he saying that he'll have to play the game 14 hours each day during filming or that he'll be on the set for a total of 8 hours? Or will he have to play through the entire game every single day?
Mark's either really bad at playing video games, really lazy at making movies, or is just making an unconvincing excuse for ignoring his source material.
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Mark's either really bad at playing video games, really lazy at making movies, or is just making an unconvincing excuse for ignoring his source material.
Posted: Jul 28th 2008 6:32PM Mental Issues said
Wait, so is he saying that he'll have to play the game 14 hours each day during filming or that he'll be on the set for a total of 8 hours? Or will he have to play through the entire game every single day?
Mark's either really bad at playing video games, really lazy at making movies, or is just making an unconvincing excuse for ignoring his source material.
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Mark's either really bad at playing video games, really lazy at making movies, or is just making an unconvincing excuse for ignoring his source material.
Posted: Jul 29th 2008 11:00AM MrMichael said
You know that Heath Ledger never read a Batman comic and from what the numbers and reviews are saying that has turned out just fine.
Same could be said for this movie. Just because an actor has never played, read or experienced the other type of mediums portrayal of a character doesn't mean that they can't make the character work in their version.
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Same could be said for this movie. Just because an actor has never played, read or experienced the other type of mediums portrayal of a character doesn't mean that they can't make the character work in their version.
Posted: Jul 28th 2008 6:44PM (Unverified) said
Again, you are wrong.
http://www.fhmonline.com/articles-6330.asp
Next time, think before you-- You know what? Fuck it. You're an idiot.
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http://www.fhmonline.com/articles-6330.asp
Next time, think before you-- You know what? Fuck it. You're an idiot.
Posted: Jul 28th 2008 10:42PM (Unverified) said
Wow, Chase. What are you, Heath Ledger's mom or something? Take a deep breath...
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Posted: Jul 29th 2008 2:21AM Levi Partridge said
@ lil' twooper & Dork Digglerson
Lay off chase. If I had to school everybody in a thread, I'd get pissed too.
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Lay off chase. If I had to school everybody in a thread, I'd get pissed too.
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