Oscars: Boston’s Mark Wahlberg up for another

The Fighter premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on December 6, 2010 in Hollywood

Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Since 1903, there have been well over 600 films made in Massachusetts, and they star many of our local thespians and filmmakers.  The have brought home or been nominated for a whopping 164 Oscars.  In the past 5 years, cinematographer Robert Richardson, of Cape Cod won for THE AVIATOR and was nominated for INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS [sic]; animator Andrew Stanton won one for Best Animated Feature WALLEE, also nominated for Best Screenplay written for the screen.

Those which have received well-deserved nods from the Oscar buzz committee are THE SOCIAL NETWORK and THE BLACK SWAN.  “Bringing sexy back,” Justin Timberlake portrays Napster co-founder Sean Parker, and he could win. The switch from songster to actor worked for Eminem who won an Oscar for “"Lose Yourself" in his film 8 MILE. For THE BLACK SWAN, director Darren Aronofsky and actress Natalie Portman have both received high praise.

Right up there with them is one of our hometown boys Mark Wahlberg who was born in Dorchester and attended what was then Copley Square High School on Newbury Street.  While he did not rank as highly as Eminem or Timberlake on the charts, he too crossed over from music to film. He was an original member of the boy band New Kids on the Block, NKOB but was, according to sources, more of a bad boy. And that he was racking up quite a rap sheet.

Nevertheless, Penny Marshall gave him a chance, and he proved he could act in RENAISSANCE MAN.  That army recruit is so different from who Mark is. Then he proved himself again in BASKETBALL DIARIES with Leonardo DiCaprio before taking ons  BOOGIE NIGHTS (1997), THREE KINGS (1999), THE PERFECT STORM (2000), PLANET OF THE APES (2001), THE ITALIAN JOB(2003), I HEART HUCKABEES (2004), FOUR BROTHERS(2005).  He has turned down several roles, the most controversial being BROKE BACK MOUNTAIN.

This has unfairly cast a shadow of homophobia over the handsome actor. Even though he claims the decision was rooted in the advice of his priest Father Flavin and his own intense Catholic beliefs, many are quick to point out his personal life which includes children out of wedlock and his performance in BOOGIE NIGHTS in which he plays a character whose behavior is also contrary to the teachings of the church.  However other actors have reported another reason he gave as an answer to turning down a part, namely,  he “got a little creeped out." Not every actor can play every role; that is a reality of the craft. Perhaps he would not play a murderer either.

However, his choices always seem to be perfect for him. After working with Martin Scorsese, and his close friend Leonardo Dicaprio again on, THE DEPARTED (2006), he was nominated for an Oscar.   INVINCIBLE (2006) and SHOOTER (2007) followed.

Last year, after a lot of hard work, came THE FIGHTER. It has already won 5 awards, but not been nominated for the BAFTA. Some say if the film wins the BAFTA, it will lose the Oscar as did happen in 2008 with the amazing film THE WRESTLER

THE FIGHTER received positive press as soon as it hit the theatres. Of his performance, The LA times writes that his “rock-solid performance is the film's irreplaceable anchor.” There has also been comment that perhaps Christian Bale has proven himself Oscar-worthy as well as the director David O. Russell with whom Mark worked on THREE KINGS and apparently got along with contrary to George Clooney.

There are many reasons to think that despite his challenging beginnings, Mark may have produced and acted in an Oscar winner, THE FIGHTER.