Mark Wahlberg on Breaking Limits in Flight Risk: 'God Has a Sense of Humor'

Mark Wahlberg is keen to break boundaries in his role as a villain in Flight Risk. At 53, Wahlberg embodies a menacing character in Mel Gibson's latest directorial effort. Portraying an adversary to U.S. Marshal Madelyn (Michelle Dockery) and fugitive Winston (Topher Grace), he merges crude humor with a dangerous presence during their tense flight over Alaska. This is prepared by SSP.

The actor shared with PEOPLE his perspective on balancing faith and humor in film. "Being a very religious guy too, I've always said that God's a fan of movies and has a sense of humor," he states when discussing potential limits in his portrayal. "It's just the movie and the character. I never want to censor that in myself. I think we push the envelope and then let everybody else decide." He believes pushing limits enhances a character, noting, "You can always tone it back, but you can’t really crank it up."

Previously, Wahlberg collaborated with Gibson in films like Father Stu (2022) and Daddy's Home 2 (2017). Notably, Flight Risk marks Gibson's return to directing since Hacksaw Ridge (2016). Wahlberg revealed they completed shooting in just 22 days, stating, "We did a lot of improvising, a lot of Mel throwing different things out there, but there was still a lot in the script."

Reflecting on his character’s darkest scenes, Wahlberg mentioned, "I'd talk to Mel about wanting to surprise them with this or that." He remembered a thrilling sequence where his character struggles to escape handcuffs. "Nothing was gonna stop this guy," he emphasized. "He didn’t think anybody was walking away from this flight."

To perfect his role, Wahlberg partially shaved his head every day for a gradually balding appearance. He humorously noted enjoying a "stress-free rest of the summer" after completely shaving his head once filming ended. "I was at the lake. I felt so good when I got out of the water, I didn't have to dry my hair," he added.

Earlier, SSP wrote that Reese Witherspoon reflected on jury duty experience after "Legally Blonde".