Mark Wahlberg Opens Up About Faith in Hollywood and Family

US actor and comedian Kevin Hart (L) and actor Mark Wahlberg arrive for the premiere of "Me Time" at the Regency Village Theatre in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, on August 23, 2022. ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg has admitted that the movie industry has currently no love for religion but the successful star remains grateful to his Catholic faith as it has “afforded me so many things” in life.

Wahlberg pointed out that he would not compromise his beliefs while working in Hollywood. “It’s a balance. I don’t want to jam it down anybody’s throat. But I do not deny my faith. That’s an even bigger sin. You know, it’s not popular in my industry. But you know, I cannot deny my faith. It’s important for me to share that with people. But I have friends from all walks of life and all different types of faiths and religions. So, you know it’s important to respect and honor them as well,” Wahlberg said in an interview with NBC Today.

When asked as to how faith has benefited him, Wahlberg insists that it has “afforded me so many things.” He noted that “God didn’t come to save the saints, he came to save the sinners. We’ve all had things and issues in our lives and we want to be better versions of ourselves. And through focusing my faith, it’s allowed me to do that.”

In April, Wahlberg’s “Father Stu” was released to mixed reviews but made over $21 million worldwide on a budget of $4 million. The movie is about a washed-up boxer who gains a new purpose in life as a priest. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight at the time, Wahlberg said the project has “real substance.”

“I feel like this is starting a new chapter for me in that, now, doing things like this—real substance—can help people … I definitely want to focus on making more. I wouldn’t say necessarily just faith-based content but things that will help people. So, hopefully this movie will open a door for not only myself but for lots of other people in Hollywood to make more meaningful content.”

Religion and Children

In his interview with Today, Wahlberg explained how he tries to get his children to inculcate faith in their lives. “I don’t force it on them,” he says.

“Before, I was like ‘all right, everybody’s got to be in Catholic school. We got to go to mass every Sunday.’ But that can also, you know, create some resentment. I want them to gravitate towards it in a very natural way.”

“I want them to understand that Dad has to start his day by getting on his hands and his knees. And no matter where I am, the priority on Sunday is to go to church. So, to be able to do those things and … you know hopefully they'll say ‘well, there’s got to be something there’ and let them do it on their own.”

Wahlberg is a guest narrator and paid spokesperson for the Catholic prayer app Hallow. During this Lent season, Wahlberg is providing fasting motivation for the believers using the app.

Hollywood’s Stance on Christianity

Multiple people have earlier spoken about Hollywood’s antagonistic attitude toward individuals who hold strong Christian beliefs. John Schneider used to be a popular presenter on award shows. However, after it became known that he was a conservative and a Christian, jobs started becoming less frequent.

“What they do is they just don’t hire you,” he said in a September interview with The Epoch Times. “A lot of that (jobs) dried up. A lot of that went away, because again, the people who have control of the microphone don’t want anyone else’s narrative to come through the airwaves.”

Speaking to Fox back in 2014, Kevin Sorbo, who acted in the Christian movie “God’s Not Dead,” had talked about “a negativity towards Christians in Hollywood” as well as negativity towards people who are not liberal.

“There’s no question that it has hurt me in Hollywood that I didn’t vote for Obama,” he said. “I’m just not afraid of the [politically correct] crowd. I'll go right back at them.”