Brace yourself: Mark Wahlberg hasn't played Max Payne
"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 (Page 1 of 2)
Marty @ Jul 28th 2008 6:05PM
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.
dabamf @ Jul 28th 2008 6:12PM
One of the most annoying video game moments...in my life.
Danny F. @ Jul 28th 2008 6:26PM
Aaaaah why Marty?!? Why??? That just brought bad memories... >
Co @ Jul 28th 2008 6:40PM
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.
aristokrat @ Jul 28th 2008 6:41PM
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.
Haggard @ Jul 28th 2008 7:27PM
@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.
Saria the Cat @ Jul 28th 2008 9:02PM
I didn't need the game to shut down and uninstall itself---I did that myself.
Anticrawl @ Jul 28th 2008 10:33PM
*laughs at Marty's comments*
First time I've heard someone agree with me in that regard to the game, that's when I put the game aside and never played it again.
brad77 @ Jul 29th 2008 2:39AM
Funny. That's when I quit too.
A Pissed-off English Gamer @ Oct 19th 2008 3:20PM
"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.
Matt @ Jul 28th 2008 6:05PM
And there goes any hope I had for this movie.
Ian Murray @ Jul 28th 2008 8:33PM
As soon as I heard the word "Wahlberg" I was out like a boner in sweatpants.
This can only in end in cringe-worthy, sub-par trying-to-push-your-voice-into-a-lower-register-and-ending-up-sounding-like-a-barrel-of-shit insanity.
HEY!!!!! @ Jul 28th 2008 6:05PM
the movie doesn't look good anyway...
Dr. @ Jul 28th 2008 6:06PM
uhhhh... Max Payne was a 10 hour long game, tops.
panos @ Aug 29th 2008 3:23AM
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?
mr mobius @ Jul 28th 2008 6:08PM
If this guy is that easily addicted and that severely then he is screwed in Hollywood with all the alcohol and drugs around.
aristokrat @ Jul 28th 2008 6:42PM
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.
mezzanine @ Jul 28th 2008 6:08PM
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.
Noshino @ Jul 28th 2008 6:30PM
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
Fudui2 @ Jul 28th 2008 9:14PM
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.
futility @ Jul 28th 2008 6:09PM
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.
Ryuukuro @ Jul 28th 2008 9:03PM
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
dabamf @ Jul 28th 2008 6:11PM
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."
Chase @ Jul 28th 2008 6:13PM
Man, I hope that's sarcasm.
stridery @ Jul 28th 2008 6:29PM
........... You're kidding right?... Please say you are...
iFester @ Jul 28th 2008 6:15PM
The fact you thanked Uwe Boll makes me wonder if you're being sarcastic or should be bludgeoned with a frozen sock. :P
dabamf @ Jul 28th 2008 6:15PM
No it is not...have you seen "In the Name of the King"? A movie that bad deserves to be seen. It's funny as hell.
Chase @ Jul 28th 2008 6:24PM
Hell is funny? I figured it for the opposite.
Stridery @ Jul 28th 2008 6:31PM
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.
Creciente @ Jul 28th 2008 6:35PM
Hell IS funny. There's nothing better than having a party with Satan. You're on fire!
Mr.ESC @ Jul 28th 2008 6:13PM
Then he should.
Ethan @ Jul 28th 2008 6:18PM
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.
aristokrat @ Jul 28th 2008 6:51PM
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?"
ill trooper @ Jul 28th 2008 8:35PM
"Addictive personality? Trait number 1 in an actor should be self-discipline."
..which he exercised by avoiding getting lost in a video-game vortex. Trait #1.
Beddoes @ Jul 28th 2008 6:29PM
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!
Chase @ Jul 28th 2008 6:35PM
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."
Fakero @ Jul 28th 2008 6:31PM
Anybody else find Mark Wahlberg to be extremely annoying and a terrible actor? His awful acting completely ruined The Departed for me and don't get me started on The Happening...
Draco Basileus @ Jul 28th 2008 7:07PM
I actually thought he was pretty decent in The Departed.
Adam @ Jul 28th 2008 6:32PM
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?
Chase @ Jul 28th 2008 6:43PM
Wrong.
http://www.fhmonline.com/articles-6330.asp
Next time, think before you post.
Lijik @ Jul 28th 2008 6:52PM
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.
Mental Issues @ Jul 28th 2008 6:32PM
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.
Mental Issues @ Jul 28th 2008 6:32PM
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.
Zwilnik @ Jul 28th 2008 6:35PM
Without playing it how's he going to perfect that "I haven't had a poo for weeks" look that the writer/designer/face personality managed to get in the first game?
SoulPatch @ Jul 28th 2008 6:40PM
His comment is BS. I say this because most actors have to research certain things about characters. Spend time learning things in order to get the role down. Playing the game is the obvious research that needs to be done, but he just refused to do it for this role. So he did not do any research, which equals lazy acting, which means crappy movie. Great, thanks Mark!
J @ Jul 28th 2008 6:42PM
Play it Mark, or I'm not paying to see you in the movie.
Trying to capture the look of a preexisting character without actually experiencing the medium is just another form of ignorance.
MKA @ Jul 28th 2008 6:46PM
seems par for the course. Do you think John Leguizamo played a bunch of Mario Bros to get into his role?
theturtle363 @ Jul 28th 2008 7:04PM
even if he did that wouldnt have translated to that movies plot
Hawk @ Jul 28th 2008 6:50PM
Nobody said he didn't study into the character or watch the cutscenes. He's just not playing through the entire two games, which isn't absolutely necessary. The people who really should have played through the games are the writer and director. If they understand Max Payne well enough, they'll get what they need from Marky Mark.
SoulPatch @ Jul 28th 2008 6:50PM
Since he was nominated for an Academy Award for The Departed, I would disagree with you on that. However, I completely agree on The Happening. HE WAS AWFUL!