Weight Loss
Scratch that. Extreme weight loss is a much more appropriate description. If you think the only actors that have to worry about their physique are the ones in sports films or the ones who spend half their films shirtless (I'm looking at you, Zac Efron), think again. Even though Wahlberg is in loose-fitting clothes for the majority of the film, The Gambler director Rupert Wyatt made it clear there Wahlberg would need to slim down, and we're not talking about a few vanity pounds.
The Wall Street Journal stated that in order to play the self-destructive professor, Wahlberg lost over 60 pounds in just a few weeks. A liquid diet consisting only of almond milk helped him achieve the appearance of a man "who doesn’t focus too much on eating," as Wyatt requested. He told WSJ, “They kind of said ‘Let’s get as thin as you can.’ And in a couple of weeks I’m down 60 pounds, and they’re telling me to stop. "
Now, for us normal, sane people, is it possible to drink nothing but almond milk for weeks on end? Sure. Is it likely that we'd stick to it. Hell no.
Role Research
According to USA Today, one of the most challenging aspects of portraying Bennett was being able to pull off the persona of a captivating literary professor. "Forget losing the weight," he said. "Being believable as a teacher was one of my greatest challenges and most rewarding. It meant being able to have the comfort to really understand and say those words."
Wahlberg dropped out of high school as a teen, and he just earned his high school diploma last year through online courses. In order to capture the character's intelligence, he diligently researched every literary mention in the script and even sat through university lectures for inspiration.
For those of us who already graduated, we may look back on our college days with reminiscent ideals... all of which I have no doubt would be quickly forgotten the first time we had to sit through a two-hour lecture.
Gambling Expert
In order to understand his character's attraction to gambling, Yahoo! Movies reported that while shooting scenes in Hong Kong for Transformers: Age of Extinction, Wahlberg turned his hotel room into a gambling parlor. With the help of his body double/fitness trainer and other friends on the set, he would play rounds of poker and bet on different sporting events in order to experience the thrill that gambling provides. He would borrow money from friends and play until he lost everything in different Hong Kong casinos, just to understand what it was like to win big and lose big.
While the rest of the challenges are somewhat feasible—you can research literary works online and drinking nothing but almond milk would probably free up some cash from your grocery budget—turning your residence into a Chinese gambling parlor will prove to be a little more difficult. Not to mention that if you're just learning the ins and outs of gambling, you probably wouldn't want to throw all your money down on the table while doing so. To prepare for the role, you'll have to do some research beforehand on the Betfair Poker platform and its how-to section, learning the ropes of everything from Texas Hold'em and Omaha to 5 and 7 Card Stud. At least then you wouldn't have to explain to friends and family members how you lost all their cash in one game of roulette.
Marky Mark doesn't mess around. After reading all that he had to go through to prepare for a seemingly unchallenging role, I can't imagine some of the work he's had to put in for other films. Suffice it to say that I don't think I could handle playing Jim Bennett. I'm over the days of attending lectures, plus I really, really enjoy eating solid foods.
You can check out the trailer for The Gambler and more information here.
