Mark Wahlberg Says He Was ‘Pissed About A Couple Things’ While Filming Star-Studded ‘The Departed’

Wahlberg, who played Sergeant Dignam, who worked in the Special Investigation Unit of the Massachusetts State Police Department, in the Boston-set film, revealed he was “pissed about a couple things” while working on the star-studded project.

“I was a little pissed about a couple things but look, it all worked out in the end, I think,” Wahlberg said on the March 14 episode of Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast.

“Originally I was supposed to play another part. Originally, I was supposed to get paid,” he continued, without elaborating. “And then even when we kind of agreed that I would play Dignam and I saw the advantages of playing that part and how I would approach the situation with everybody else playing opposite me, I then had another movie after.”

Wahlberg was working back-to-back at the time, having just finished filming Four Brothers and gearing up to shoot Invincible.

“I was trying to grow my hair out, which is why I had that weird hair. You know, everybody’s like, what was that wig about? I was like, it was not a wig, I was just trying to grow my hair for the next film,” he explained.

His hair and his shooting schedule ended up being points of contention between Wahlberg and Scorsese, who in addition to balancing the Ted star’s busy schedule, was juggling a myriad of personalities on the star-studded set, which included Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin and Vera Farmiga, among others.

But now, Wahlberg says, he understands the Oscar-winning director’s point of view.

“I completely understand where Marty was coming from. He had to deal with Jack, he had to deal with Matt and Leo and Alec and everything in the studio and everybody else who was in the cast and then I was supposed to be in and out in five weeks,” Wahlberg said. “And so I went off to go and shoot Invincible, got my hair extensions, came back and then they were like, oh you gotta take out the extensions. I was like, [this] s–t took eight hours. I’m not gonna take this out. We had a couple of issues.”

Eventually, Wahlberg realized he could “have some fun” with the role and even had conversations with Scorsese about improvising.

“Ultimately, I think when I read that particular role, I was like, OK, this is, this is a good role,” the Boston-born actor said. “This is an opportunity for me to really kind of go off and have some fun for me. Originally, I was just thinking, ‘OK, we gotta make this as realistic and credible as possible. It’s Boston, it’s gangster s–t. You don’t see too many of that, those movies.’ And I was thinking kind of broad big picture, not necessarily my own individual goals or even the opportunity for me as an actor. And then when I read the part again, I was like, ‘OK, there’s, there’s something here.”

The film, with all its ups and downs, ended up earning Wahlberg his first and only Oscar nom to date — he ultimately lost to Little Miss Sunshine‘s Alan Arkin, though the film won four Oscars, including best picture and best director.

When asked if those kinds of accolades matter or if they’re something he’s chasing, Wahlberg said it’s nice when it happens, but it’s not something he chases.

“Look, you want the movie to be recognized, you want to be recognized — it helps the ultimate success of the film,” he said. “I think it enhances the box office quite a bit, especially if you have a movie coming out at that time of year, but it’s not as high on the priority list as it used to be, let’s just say that.”

When asked by Horowitz if he’d rather a “movie make a billion dollars or win an Academy Award,” Wahlberg’s answer was complicated.

“If I have a nice back end, I would rather [have the money],” Wahlberg said. “But that being said, look, I mean, you know, I’m competitive guy. I work really hard and I try to make the best movies possible. I always want to be the best. I approach it as very much as an athlete, as a fighter, all those things. So I only wanna win.”