Mark Wahlberg says eating 11,000 calories a day for a movie role was “no fun”

Mark Wahlberg has opened up about gaining weight for a role in an upcoming movie, sharing in an interview this week that eating 11,000 calories a day was far from fun.

The actor virtually sat down with Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” Thursday to discuss Wahlberg’s upcoming film, “Stu.” The film, which is based on a true story, follows Wahlberg as a boxer who sets out on a journey to be baptized to win a wife, but then later pivots to become a priest.

Casting himself into the role, Wahlberg had to gain a lot of weight in just 30 days to appear as both a fit boxer and a less fit priest. The “Ted” star told Fallon how arduous this process is.

“Unfortunately, I had to consume, for two weeks, 7,000 calories, then for another two weeks, 11,000 calories, and it was fun for about an hour. It’s such a hard physical thing to do. weight, it’s a bit enduring. You just don’t eat or exercise. And that, even when you’re full, I would wake up after one meal and have another meal. hours. It wasn’t fun, ”he shared.

Noting that Wahlberg had recently turned 50, Fallon asked if losing and gaining weight became more difficult with age. Wahlberg didn’t hesitate to say “absolutely” and added that: “Once the metabolism starts to slow down, it gets really tough.”

“I’ve been trying to make this movie for six years, we only had 30 days to shoot it, and so I really wanted to make it happen,” he continued. “And [I] was also crazy that I funded a lot of it myself. So I knew I was on a clock on my own, and you get things done pretty quickly when I do.

Despite his previous weight gain, it looks like the actor has returned to his pre-“Stu” physique, according to his recent activity on Instagram. He often posts workout videos or behind-the-scenes snapshots of his life for fans to follow.

Wahlberg is currently starring in another film based on a true story, “Joe Bell,” which is set to hit US theaters later this month.

The film follows Wahlberg as Bell, a man who traveled across the United States to raise awareness of harassment after his son Jadin Bell committed suicide at age 15.