The role Mark Wahlberg is glad he didn’t have to play: “Why would I ever do that?”

Posted On March 6, 2025March 6, 2025

Ever since he made the leap from music to acting, Mark Wahlberg has played some very famous roles. One of his first standout performances came as the well-endowed porn hero Dirk Diggler in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights. Then came characters like an embattled police officer in The Departed, a rising star boxer in The Fighter, and security guard for the rich and famous in All the Money in the World. There have been bad characters too – see Ted and the ‘Transformers’ series – but don’t let those cloud your vision.

Then comes the list of roles Wahlberg misses out on. For some reason, he seems to have made it his mission not to get cast in superhero films. Rumour has it that he was considered to play a version of the Green Lantern in the DC Extended Universe, but that has yet to materialise. Zack Snyder wanted him for his ill-fated Watchmen film, although he can’t remember which character he was meant to play. Then there’s the big one – the part of Dick Grayson in the 1997 Joel Schumacher movie, Batman & Robin.

Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz, the Happening star revealed that he and Schumacher came close to striking a deal. “We met, quite a few times,” he said (via Fandom Wire) “We talked about it. I never got the official offer.” Wahlberg was at a crucial point in his career at this point, having just arrived on the scene with a small part in The Basketball Diaries. However, in his own words, “I am glad I didn’t get that offer.” Why’s that? Because Batman & Robin is widely regarded as one of the worst superhero films ever made.

Starring George Clooney as the caped crusader, the film is legendary for its cheesy costume design, cringe-inducing scripts, and baffling plot points. There’s a scene where Batman pulls out a personalised credit card to pay for something at an auction. Given the darker Tim Burton takes on the character from almost a decade prior, this undermined the Dark Knight as a serious force. There’s also Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze. One of the campiest villains in the history of comic book movies, he is the originator of such iconic lines as “You are not sending me to the cooler!” and “What killed the dinosaurs? The ice age!” No wonder Clooney won’t let his wife watch it.

Grayson, the alter ego of the titular Robin, was played by Chris O’Donnell. He had been introduced as the character in the previous film, Batman Forever. The young actor, who had narrowly missed out on the role of Jack in Titanic, suffered greatly as a result of this embarrassment. He wouldn’t appear in another movie for the next two years and would never obtain the level of celebrity afforded to other Batman actors.

In contrast, Wahlberg, having freed up some space in his calendar, was able to make Boogie Nights in 1997. In hindsight, he was absolutely correct to turn down this PVC-coated nightmare. He had doubts even at the time, revealing his thought process was “Why would I ever do that?”

Maybe Batman & Robin would have turned out better with Wahlberg in a major role? Well, it would still have the crazy plot, the horrifying costumes, and all the ice puns, so it’s safe to say that Marky Mark wouldn’t have made such a difference. 

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