Mark Wahlberg Reveals the Life-Changing Advice Late Director Penny Marshall Gave Him When He Was a Rapper

Before the Oscar nominations, before Boogie Nights, before he terrorized Reese Witherspoon in Fear — Mark Wahlberg was just a guy from Boston trying to make it as a rapper. It took one very direct Hollywood legend to reroute the entire trajectory of his life.

During a Monday, April 27, appearance on SiriusXM’s Comedy Greats channel, Wahlberg opened up to host Tom Papa about the pivotal moment in the early ’90s when he met late director Penny Marshall, who didn’t mince words with the young rapper-turned-underwear-model.

“When I walked in there, she was like, ‘You’re an actor,'” Wahlberg, 54, recalled. “‘This white rapper thing is not working.’ She was like, ‘You’re acting like a rapper. But you’re acting. So why don’t you just try this?'”

What followed was a whirlwind. According to Wahlberg, what started as a casual visit turned into cold-reading for eight different characters on the spot.

He then flew himself to Los Angeles, moved in with Marshall while they prepped, and eventually tested for a role in her 1994 comedy Renaissance Man, which starred Danny DeVito and Gregory Hines. It became one of his first real acting credits — a far cry from the Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch days.

Marshall had made the rare leap from sitcom star to blockbuster director, going from eight seasons as Laverne DeFazio on Laverne & Shirley to helming box office hits including Big in 1988 — the first film directed by a woman to cross $100 million — and A League of Their Own in 1992.

At the time of Marshall’s passing in 2018 at the age of 75, Wahlberg paid tribute on Facebook, writing, “Rest in peace, Penny. Such a wonderful, funny and talented lady. Without her support and encouragement, I would not be where I am today.”

He wasn’t entirely without encouragement elsewhere. Wahlberg, who is married to Rhea Durham, noted during the interview that Scott Kalvert, who had directed his music videos, had also nudged him toward acting.

Kalvert went on to direct The Basketball Diaries in 1995, in which Wahlberg appeared alongside a young Leonardo DiCaprio. Soon after, director James Foley insisted he take the lead role in 1996’s Fear as the unhinged boyfriend who menaces Witherspoon and her onscreen family.