Mark Wahlberg pushed his fitness game even further to prepare for his new Prime Video film Play Dirty.
The actor, known for transforming his body for roles, told Twitch streamer Will Neff on September 28 that this time he aimed to be “a little bit more lean, a little bit more fit.” Still, he emphasized that the workouts were about supporting the character: “We wanted to make sure the character itself was really the focus. So we definitely worked out throughout the movie, we worked out leading up to the movie.”
When the actors’ strike delayed production, Wahlberg used the downtime to double down on training. “We had a stop/start, where we were going to start the film, then the actor’s strike happened, so we had another four months on top of it to prepare,” he explained. “But we always want to show up ready.”
Wahlberg kept up his famous 3 a.m. wake-up routine while training for Play Dirty. “The only way I can do it is if I get to bed at 7 p.m., because I need eight hours of sleep,” he told Good Morning America on September 25.
“I learned the hard way over the years, which is why I try to show what I do every day, just so I can show people that it is about the work, it is about the discipline, and this is the only way that I could be successful, both personally and professionally,” he explained.
The actor also joked about how early workouts fuel him: “I feel like after the workout, I can conquer the world, and then all the problems start hitting. I can dodge and leave them a little bit more.”
Written and directed by Shane Black, Play Dirty is an action-thriller that follows expert thief Parker (Wahlberg) as he leads Grofield (LaKeith Stanfield), Zen (Rosa Salazar), and a skilled crew into their biggest heist yet—one that puts them toe-to-toe with the New York mob in a gritty, high-stakes caper.
The film also stars Keegan-Michael Key, Chukwudi Iwuji, Nat Wolff, Thomas Jane, and Tony Shalhoub.
Play Dirty hits Prime Video on October 1.
