Ask Jo Racer: Marky Mark

Is Mark Wahlberg the Best Actor for AR?

Jo Racer: Great Question! Any movie where an actor has to play an athlete, especially one whose sport necessitates diverse skill sets as adventure racing, will naturally draw criticism. At 52 years old, Mark Wahlberg is considerably older than Mikael Lindnord was during the ARWS World Series in Ecuador. However, the veteran actor is no stranger to playing athletes.

Wahlberg starred as Vince Papale in Invincible about the true story of a down-on-his luck average Joe who trains his little butt off in pursuit of playing for Jo Racer’s favorite NFL team—the Philadelphia Eagles. Papale makes the team and forces a fumble late in the game that he recovers for a touchdown to beat the lowly Giants. But I digress…

As Jo Racer has done the homework to answer your question, Mark Wahlberg appears to have internalized that Philadelphia, blue-collar atty-tude. From The DarkZone podcast, Mikael Lindnord himself praises Wahlberg’s work ethic. Apparently, Wahlberg likes to wake-up at 2:30 am in preparation for his 3:40 to 5:15 am workout. Then he golfs, works, hangs out with family, and has an afternoon workout before his 7:30 pm bedtime. Very similar to Jo Racer’s day, except for the golf. I got no time for golf.

More recently, the director of Arthur the King, Simon Cellan Jones, weighed in on the topic calling the performance by Wahlberg “his most athletic yet.”

To answer the question—Yes, Marky Mark Wahlberg has the drive and dedication to play an adventure racer. Not bad for a kid from Boston who likes to talk to animals— “Say hi to your Mother for me, ok.”