Mark Wahlberg claims retirement could be imminent

Mark Wahlberg in Infinite movieParamount Pictures

Academy Award-nominated actor Mark Wahlberg has revealed that he may retire from the movie industry soon.

Wahlberg first gained popularity as a member of the hip-hop group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch in the 1990s. He later debuted in 1994’s Renaissance Man before starring in various big-budget movies.

As the protagonist of two live-action Transformers films, Wahlberg became the highest-paid actor in 2017. The 52-year-old actor’s other movie credits include Ted, Planet of the Apes, and The Departed.

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Now, Wahlberg has discussed retiring from acting in the near future based on the “pace” he is at now.

Mark Wahlberg may retire and sit on the director’s chair

An image of Mark Wahlberg as Max PayneDune Entertainment

In an interview with Cigar Aficionado, Wahlberg answered how much longer he would continue working in the industry. “Well, I’m certainly working harder now than ever. Certain businesses, you kind of build them, pass them on or you exit,” he said.

“Hopefully my kids, we’ll see what their interests are, but I don’t think that I’ll be acting that much longer at the pace I am now. That’s for sure. Because that’s the most difficult thing.”

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Wahlberg has four children with model Rhea Durham, in addition to being the co-owner of the Wahlburgers restaurant chain.

Despite debating on leaving acting behind, he talked about taking up directing. Wahlberg previously served as the executive producer of HBO’s’ Entourage and Boardwalk Empire.

“I started becoming a producer out of necessity,” he remarked. He continued by saying he wanted to produce before Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise decided to do it. “I was always proactive in trying to find material and things that I could produce, that I knew was right for me, create my own destiny,” Wahlberg added.

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At the Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia fight, Wahlberg admitted to Kick streamer Adin Ross of being a fan of his work.