Mark Wahlberg reveals why he initially turned down Oscar nominated role

Cape Town - Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg has admitted he had to be convinced to star in The Departed.

The Boogie Nights actor originally turned down the role because he didn't want to play a supporting role to Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon.

Wahlberg played Dignam in the 2006 crime drama directed by Martin Scorsese. His role earned him rave reviews and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. 

Meanwhile the actor can be seen in his latest movie Mile 22 which hits cinemas Friday, 7 September.

Wahlberg stars as James Silva, an operative of the CIA’s most highly-prized and least understood unit. Aided by a top-secret tactical command team, Silva must retrieve and transport an asset who holds life-threatening information to Mile 22 for extraction before the enemy closes in.

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