Mark Wahlberg, 49, turned heads on May 21 while playing the part of Father Stuart Long on the set of his upcoming film Stu. The actor transformed into the boxer-turned priest by parting ways with his usually toned physique and taking on natural weight gain as well as a fat suit and prosthetics. He was photographed showing off a chin prosthetic and wearing the big suit while smiling and roaming around the L.A. filming location.
Mark wore a blue patterned sweater over an olive green polo style shirt during his time on the set and also rocked a shaved head. It’s not clear what scene he was shooting during the appearance, but it definitely helped onlookers get an idea of how amazing his transformation is for the Rosalind Ross-directed feature, which he’s been working on for six years.
Mark will co-star with Mel Gibson, 65, in the highly-anticipated movie, which is based on the life of real-life priest Father Long. Before his latest appearance on set, he showed off his weight gain on social media in a before and after photo and has openly discussed his journey in getting ready for the role in previous interviews.
“After we do the boxing scenes, I get to put on as much weight as possible over the course of the film, so I’m challenging myself to put on 30 pounds in the next six weeks,” he said about the movie during an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last month. Although he revealed that production wanted him to be “as healthy as possible” when gaining the weight, he admitted to being excited about eating a lot of sweets and carbs.
“I want to go bakeries. I want to go to Denny’s. I want to get pancakes. I want to get everything I can possibly get my hands on,” he said. He also had an idea for his first weight-gaining meal and it included a “20-piece chicken nugget and 20-piece hot wings from Kentucky Fried Chicken” meal as well as a “six pack of beer.”