Mark Wahlberg: I ‘Can’t Start the Day Without Being in Prayer’ By Tré Goins-Phillips for Faith Wire
Famed actor Mark Wahlberg — known most recently for his faith-based film “Father Stu” — said on NBC’s “Today” that he “can’t start” his days without prayer and Scripture reading.
“Even with my faith, I don’t force it on [my kids],” the celebrity said. “But they know that dad can’t start the day without being in prayer, can’t start the day without reading my Scripture or going to Mass. And hopefully, instead of forcing that on them, they’ll say, ‘Well, if it works for dad, maybe it’ll work for us,’ and they’ll kind of gravitate toward it on their own.”
In April, Wahlberg spoke with CBN’s Faithwire about the movie and faith more broadly, particularly in response to cancel culture — an issue he said was addressed in “Father Stu.”
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“This movie has a very clear message that we are not going to give up on people,” he explained of the film, which chronicles the life of the late Catholic priest, Stuart Long. “We are not going to turn our backs on people because of mistakes that they’ve made. We are going to tell people and encourage people that nobody is beyond redemption and that we support you, we love you, we accept you for who you are.”
Moving forward, the 51-year-old actor said his top priority is leaving a legacy of faith.
“I’m kind of doing all this not to continue to grow my career, but to utilize my career for good and to do God’s work,” Wahlberg said. “If this is a movie that really changes people’s lives and motivates them and inspires them to do great things — you know, all I really gotta do is convert one person, and I get to go through the pearly gates.”
