Brace yourself: Mark Wahlberg hasn't played Max Payne

by Justin McElroy { Jul 28th 2008 at 6:00PM }

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.

Tags: max-payne, max-payne-movie, movies

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

HEY!!!!! @ Jul 28th 2008 6:05PM

the movie doesn't look good anyway...

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.

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

Josh @ Jul 29th 2008 6:50AM

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.

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."

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.

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.

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

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?

Michael @ Jul 29th 2008 11:00AM

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.