Aleteia writer Cerith Gardiner speaks with Mark Wahlberg, who produced and stars in the new movie "Arthur the King"
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00 (birds chirping)
00:02 - How's that dog here?
00:08 - What do you mean?
00:09 - How did that dog get here?
00:11 This is where I fed the dog in TA1, right?
00:18 - Mm-hmm.
00:19 - Okay, just bring that back up with us.
00:21 Right there.
00:23 How did he get all the way from here to there, right?
00:25 While we were on bikes and zip lines
00:28 and hiking and running and climbing.
00:30 Now, how did he do that?
00:32 - He must have wings we don't know about.
00:33 - Yeah, that was my first guess.
00:35 - Hello, Mark.
00:38 Hi, thanks for taking the time.
00:40 - My pleasure, how are you today?
00:43 - I'm very well, thank you.
00:45 So tell me, "Arthur the King,"
00:49 action-packed movie, adorable dogs,
00:53 dog tracking, you know,
00:54 these adventures across the jungle miraculously.
00:59 So it's action-packed and it's got a dog in it.
01:02 So is that your dream film,
01:04 considering, you know,
01:05 you do lack a bit of fitness and things and...
01:07 - Yeah, I mean, look,
01:10 I always gravitate towards the true stories,
01:13 any type of physical challenge, you know,
01:16 at least at the time I felt like I was up to it.
01:18 I'm getting older and embracing getting older
01:21 and trying to find roles that are age appropriate,
01:23 but here was a guy who was, you know,
01:26 was a world-class athlete for quite some time
01:28 and felt like this was his last chance
01:31 at winning a world title.
01:33 And so I felt like, you know,
01:34 I felt like I fit that bill to a certain extent,
01:37 but I was really inspired by the entire story.
01:39 I felt like it was something that audiences
01:41 really gravitate towards.
01:43 - Yeah, no, it is a beautiful story.
01:46 It's very feel-good as well.
01:48 And, you know, there's that whole feeling of teamwork
01:51 and the sacrifice and everything involved there.
01:55 And, you know, you're a family man, actor,
01:57 you've got your business ventures.
01:59 So for you, what do you think is the most important aspect
02:03 of being a good team member?
02:05 - Well, playing your position, you know,
02:09 I think people have a tendency sometimes to,
02:12 and I could certainly do that,
02:14 to try to get involved in other people's, you know,
02:18 spaces of expertise and just knowing
02:21 to really be able to rely on other people
02:22 and empower other people.
02:23 And, you know, for me, everything that I've done
02:26 that's successful has been, you know,
02:29 connecting with the right people
02:30 and putting people in a position of power
02:33 and being able to kind of excel and grow.
02:37 I think you're only as good as the guy next to you.
02:39 And I've always been somebody who's a firm believer of that.
02:42 So.
02:44 - Yeah, yeah.
02:45 And tell me, so you've got, you have four dogs, am I right?
02:50 - Yes.
02:52 Yes, four dogs and four children.
02:54 - Excellent.
02:58 Did you find it easy straight away to work with,
03:01 is it you, Kai, or UK, the dog who played the part?
03:06 - You, Kai.
03:07 - You, Kai.
03:09 Was it easy for you to connect with him?
03:10 - It was, you know, I was amazed at how,
03:16 how much of a connection there was
03:19 on an emotional level and for,
03:21 for us to be able to engage in those moments,
03:26 you know, normally you could come up with different things
03:30 to try to manipulate the situation,
03:34 but you didn't really have to do that, you know?
03:37 And I would like when, you know, obviously,
03:39 you guy has an amazing trainer and owner,
03:43 but wanted to be able to connect with him
03:45 on a personal level and for us to be able to kind of
03:48 be engaged in those moments.
03:50 And it was remarkable to see, like, you know,
03:53 when he was, whether it was in the vet
03:56 or moments of them just kind of alone and,
03:59 and, you know, connecting on such a deep,
04:01 personal and emotional level.
04:02 - The scene where he puts his paw on your arm.
04:07 Oh, that was heartbreaking.
04:09 So for you, I mean, he was obviously a valuable cast member
04:15 and I know you wanted to take him home,
04:17 but that was a no.
04:18 Are you going to be able to keep in touch with him?
04:22 - You know, we kind of picked up right where we left off.
04:27 You know, he was slobbering all over me and, you know,
04:30 it was just come from the rain and like to put all of his,
04:33 you know, paws, wet, dirty paws and hair all over my clothes
04:38 and, but he's remarkable.
04:41 And, you know, people always say don't work with animals
04:45 or children, but I've had great success with both.
04:49 I think being patient and, you know,
04:53 there's lots to learn while working
04:55 in those kinds of situations.
04:56 And, you know, for us making something
04:59 that really resonates with people
05:01 and rings true to audiences is not an easy thing to do,
05:05 whether, you know, you're working opposite a human
05:07 or in this case, working with you, Guy.
05:10 - Yeah.
05:12 And there's a question I have for you,
05:15 there's a scene where you're about to go on the zip wire,
05:18 the ominous looking zip wire,
05:20 that's like dangling hundreds of feet above the jungle floor
05:23 and there's just, it's horrible, you know?
05:25 And there you are dangling bikes and everything.
05:28 So it's a very risky situation.
05:31 Are you, do you take risks yourself?
05:33 And if so, does your faith help you take risks?
05:37 - Well, when I first got up there,
05:39 the only thing I could do was pray.
05:41 I mean, I was already kind of out there and dangling
05:44 and putting my life in other people's hands.
05:48 But, you know, I'm not the big thrill seeker,
05:51 you know, risk taker that I used to be.
05:53 I just kind of showed up that day,
05:56 I was just traveling from home,
05:57 I tore my meniscus and went back to get an MRI
06:00 and I came back and, you know,
06:02 they had already been shooting on the zip line.
06:04 So it was just like, all right,
06:04 you go out there with the cameraman
06:06 and, you know, just play out the scene towards the matte box
06:09 because the other actor wasn't out there at the time.
06:12 And I was like, oh my God, when I found myself out there,
06:14 I was like, why am I here?
06:15 Why would I do this?
06:17 It's gotta be an easier, safer way to do this.
06:19 But, you know, that was also, you know,
06:24 the feeling of being up there, you know,
06:26 is something that's hard to fake.
06:28 So I think it's one of those sequences
06:30 that really stand out as a kind of catch your breath moment
06:34 for the audience.
06:34 So it was definitely worth it in the end,
06:37 but yeah, I was kind of wondering why I'd agreed to do it.
06:42 - Yes, it is uncomfortable.
06:45 It's like, ah!
06:45 You know, thankfully you survived, so that's great.
06:50 So did you do the stunts yourself?
06:56 - For the most part.
06:59 I mean, I tore my meniscus at the beginning of the movie
07:01 and we were committed to making it as realistic as possible.
07:05 So if you want the audience to feel like
07:06 it's actually you on my head,
07:08 I definitely had a stunt double, you know,
07:10 when you're getting into like drone shots and wide shots
07:13 and they can't tell if it's you or somebody else.
07:15 So I would use the double when necessary,
07:18 but you definitely wanted to feel the audience,
07:21 to feel like it was actually us in a lot of those moments.
07:24 So we did as much as possible, sure.
07:26 - Yeah, 'cause there's also the worrying scene
07:29 when you're climbing a cliff face with bikes on your back,
07:32 you know, your regular sort of thing.
07:35 - Oh, you're harnessed to a table there.
07:39 So, but it was not fun,
07:41 all the climbing scenes and, you know, harness,
07:45 yeah, with the bike attached to, not fun.
07:49 - It's a little mental, to be honest.
07:52 So it's this mad race.
07:56 So it's over 435 miles,
07:59 like over a period of five to 10 days.
08:01 Do you think you would ever have been up to do it
08:03 in real life yourself?
08:07 - I think, you know, I think if I was put in a position
08:12 where I could have the time to train and prepare,
08:14 I would like to think that I could,
08:17 that I had the mental toughness and fortitude
08:19 to survive something like that,
08:21 but I wouldn't just, you know,
08:23 volunteer for something like that.
08:25 I think I was even wondering why I had agreed to portray,
08:29 you know, this type of an event and character
08:32 in a movie at times.
08:33 But, you know, once the movie's over,
08:36 if you've kind of given it your all, you know,
08:39 you can be proud of what you've done.
08:40 I think it's something that's really, you know,
08:45 been registering with audiences
08:46 and people have really responded to the film
08:48 in such a positive way and find it so inspiring.
08:52 So you kind of forget about all the difficulty
08:55 of, you know, going out there
08:56 and pretending to be an adventure racer.
08:59 And, you know, it's on screen forever.
09:02 So, you know, you kind of forget about the difficulty of it.
09:05 And I've always had the best success
09:07 and the best response to a film
09:10 with the two stories that I've been a part of, so.
09:13 - Yeah, I mean, "Father Stu" was obviously a big hit,
09:17 especially with actually our audience, it was a great film.
09:21 And I think, you know, these two stories,
09:23 it really resonates, doesn't it?
09:25 - Yeah.
09:27 - I want to ask you, I know-
09:28 - Pretty remarkable things,
09:31 just ordinary people doing, you know, remarkable things.
09:34 People always have a tendency to appreciate those the most.
09:39 - Yeah, absolutely.
09:41 - And also, you know, look a little bit deeper
09:44 at what, you know, what their full potential could be like,
09:47 you know?
09:48 - Yeah.
09:49 Yeah, I mean, it's very inspiring.
09:51 I mean, it hasn't inspired me to start doing races
09:54 or anything like that, that's for sure.
09:55 But maybe inspires me to maybe look into,
09:58 I know you're looking to help support people,
10:01 well, to encourage people to adopt dogs,
10:05 having done the film.
10:08 And so, you know, with being a dog owner yourself,
10:10 I mean, we've seen some of your dogs on social media,
10:13 very cute.
10:14 What are the joys you get that could inspire other people
10:20 to like take on a furry friend?
10:22 - Oh, the companionship, the love, the unconditional love.
10:27 It's remarkable, you know?
10:31 I think, you know, I've never ever had anything
10:36 but pure joy around my pets, you know?
10:39 Maybe a little mess there, tearing something up,
10:42 but, you know, the happiness and the joy,
10:46 and the love and, you know, and positive energy
10:49 that they exude is wonderful.
10:50 (silence)
10:53 [BLANK_AUDIO]