Mark Wahlberg still trying to hit stride

NEW YORK — Just who is Mark Wahlberg? The Massachusetts native certainly isn’t a pop star anymore. His Marky Mark persona has long since been laid to rest, along with the preening underwear ads. After critically praised performances in “Boogie Nights” (1997) and “Three Kings” (1999) and a monster box-office hit with “The Perfect Storm” (2000), he emerged as an A-list movie talent. But now his reign as a leading man seems to be in jeopardy. He elicited critical yawns for his turns in “The Yards” (2000) and “Rock Star” (2001). Two much-hyped remakes in which he starred, Tim Burton’s “Planet of the Apes” (2001) and last year’s “The Truth About Charlie,” both bombed.

Now comes yet another remake, “The Italian Job,” a cheeky heist film banking, in part, on Mr. Wahlberg’s bad-boy-turned-good appeal.

The actor, promoting the new film during a recent press gathering in Manhattan, sounds as if he isn’t sure himself about his acting chops.

“I still feel like I have so much to learn,” says Mr. Wahlberg, those telltale biceps bulging out from a plain white T-shirt. “And who better to learn from than filmmakers?”

The young actor’s list of instructors is impressive, from Paul Thomas Anderson to Jonathan Demme.

Not all those films turned out as he had hoped, the actor says, but that doesn’t mean he could afford to turn them down.

“Tim Burton calls me and says, ‘Do you wanna make a movie?’ I say, ‘Great.’ It turns out to be ‘Planet of the Apes,’ which I wasn’t a big fan of. My whole thing is doing stuff that’s reality-based. But how many times am I going to get the chance to work with him? The same thing with Jonathan,” he says, referring to “Charlie,” last year’s ill-advised “Charade” remake directed by Mr. Demme.

Working with “Italian Job” director F. Gary Gray gave him the chance to learn how to make a thief palatable to the masses.

Mr. Gray asked Mr. Wahlberg to get the audience on his side. “It was important for the film, in which the central character is a crook, that he’s likable,” Mr. Wahlberg says.

Mr. Wahlberg began his acting career with small roles in “Renaissance Man” (1994) and “The Basketball Diaries” (1995). He forever shed his rap image with his portrayal of conflicted porn star Dirk Diggler in “Boogie Nights.”

In his best performances, his movie-star looks are offset by an aw-shucks humility, making him a more accessible, human-scaled alternative to a strutting action figure such as Tom Cruise or a flawless statue such as Brad Pitt.

“Three Kings” and “The Perfect Storm” earned him critical and commercial hits, respectively, but clunkers such as “The Yards” and his somnambulant performance in “Apes” left some questioning his range.

“The Italian Job,” a remake of the 1969 British film starring Michael Caine, isn’t embarrassing, but it won’t win him many converts. The film finds him leading a crew of colorful thieves trying to steal a king’s ransom in gold bricks from a former confederate who nicked it from them. The film co-stars Donald Sutherland, Seth Green and Edward Norton as the turncoat.

If Mr. Wahlberg is still feeling his way as an actor, he sounds more assured about his personal life.

Story Continues →