The Big Picture

Mark Wahlberg is finally working with long-time friend Halle Berry in Netflix’s The Union.
Wahlberg predicts Patriots’ 10-7 end-of-season record under coach Jerod Mayo, optimistic about defense and QB options.
Teaming up with Halle Berry in action feature, Wahlberg praises her performance and discusses physically challenging movie roles.

Mark Wahlberg stays busy. Tearing his meniscus on the set of this year’s adventure drama, Arthur the King couldn’t keep him from jumping right back into the action, but this time he’s opposite a long-time friend, Academy Award-winner Halle Berry. The two team up in Netflix’s espionage buddy comedy, The Union, co-starring J.K. Simmons, Mike Colter, and more, as ex-high school sweethearts who reunite under unusual circumstances.

In this interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, Wahlberg doesn’t miss an opportunity to discuss the prospects of the Patriots’ upcoming season, and his expectations are high. Ever optimistic, he shares his predictions for the team’s end-of-season record and his faith in Jerod Mayo’s guidance. He also talks about finally teaming up with Berry for an action-packed feature that Wahlberg says “she’s fantastic” in, which previous roles proved the most challenging physically, and his thoughts on his upcoming Shane Black movie, Play Dirty.

Check it all out in the video above or in the transcript below.

The Union (2024) Mike, a down-to earth construction worker, is thrust into the world of super spies and secret agents when his high school sweetheart, Roxanne, recruits him on a high-stakes US intelligence mission.Release Date August 16, 2024 Director Julian Farino Runtime 109 Minutes Writers David Guggenheim , Joe Barton Studio(s) Leverage Entertainment , Municipal Pictures , Closest to the Hole Productions Expand

Mark Wahlberg Predicts the Patriots’ End-of-Season Record
Image via Apple TV+

COLLIDER: Eventually, Mark will look up and realize he knows me.

MARK WAHLBERG: What’s up, my brother? Sorry, I’m getting a text from my friend here. How are you?

If it’s Tom Brady, I accept. Otherwise, fuck that.

WAHLBERG: It’s not, but you know what? We’re starting to look good again. The Patriots are coming back. I like the Coen Brothers shirt.

You can’t go wrong with them.

WAHLBERG: Normally, you reference some sort of Marvel character or something, so this is serious. The Coen Brothers are no joke.

I love them.

WAHLBERG: That might be my favorite of your shirts. Probably every time we get together, though, we talk shit about whatever we were talking about at the time, and we never really get to do your interview. I apologize.

I’ve got the important questions up front. As you know, the Patriots are about to begin. What do you think the record’s gonna be at the end of the season?

WAHLBERG: Honestly, I’ve said a number of times already, 10 and 7.

You really think they’re getting 10 wins this year?

WAHLBERG: I think they are. Under Coach [Jerod] Mayo, I think they are. I think we got a real solid defense. I think you got great options at quarterback. I think there’s an opportunity.

Listen, I feel what you’re saying, but the AFC East, every team now is so good, and you have to play each team twice, so the 10 wins is, for me, a reach. I think eight.

WAHLBERG: We’re gonna go 500 in the division.

The AFC East is just very good.

WAHLBERG: We’re going 500 in the division. We’ll split one on one with each team — maybe we beat the Jets twice. I’m not convinced of the Jets yet. I mean, we see what happened to Aaron Rodgers playing one game last year. I hope he’s healthy and has a great season. You know what? Listen, if we win four games, I’m still happy. I’m still living on the success of the six chips.

We’re on the same page. The Celtics obviously did amazing.

WAHLBERG: There you go! No reason to complain.

Related From ‘The Departed’ to ‘The Other Guys’: The 11 Best Mark Wahlberg Movies Ranked From ‘The Italian Jobs’ to ‘The Fighter’ these are the best Mark Wahlberg movies.

Be honest, do you really think they’ll repeat?

WAHLBERG: Yes, I think you have a chance to get maybe three and four years.

I accept. I think that basketball is just very even nowadays. It’s really hard to win.

WAHLBERG: It is. I think there’s something really special happening with Coach [Joseph] Mazzulla, and I think that these guys are playing well together now. They figured it out. They’re gonna go on a run.

From your mouth to God’s ears.

WAHLBERG: Steve Kerr not giving Jayson Tatum love over there in Paris, he’s got a lot of motivation.

I agree, and I was very happy to see him not playing and risking any injury. I’ll be honest.

‘The Union’ Finally Unites Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry
“We’ve been friends forever.”

Jumping into The Union, you’ve known Halle for like 30 years. How did it take this long to work together?

WAHLBERG: I don’t know. I’m just glad it finally happened. Obviously, she was the first, second, and third choice. There’s nobody better to play this role than Halle. Nobody more believable in the part — the authority, the action, the toughness. Also, any man or woman will wait 25 years for another opportunity to make a better impression on her. She’s fantastic. We’ve been friends forever. I’m so lucky. We had an amazing time.

When you think about your entire career, the full resume, what shot or sequence from all your movies do you think was the hardest to pull off and why?

WAHLBERG: Whoa. That’s tough. I mean, I’ve done a lot of the action stuff. You look at Lone Survivor, Shooter, The Perfect Storm. Even with Arthur the King physically, I tore my meniscus the first day. I was done, but I had to go and shoot the movie. I couldn’t shut it down for three months. We waited so long to get it there. But those are the movies, also, that I could be most proud of. Getting older now, they’re tough. But any of those movies are up there?

Mark Wahlberg Says ‘Play Dirty’ Is ‘The Italian Job’ Meets ‘Heat’
“I waited a long time to get a script like that.”
Image via Warner Bros.

I am a huge Shane Black fan. Huge.

WAHLBERG: Oh, man.

I know you just shot with him in Australia. He was telling me about it. What can you tease about this movie? You gotta talk about working with him.

WAHLBERG: For me, it’s like The Italian Job meets Heat. It’s got the action, it’s got the high stakes, it’s got the humor, it’s got these great characters, the best Shane Black dialogue. I waited a long time to get a script like that. Any time we talked about, “What’s the kind of movie you wanna do as an actor if we’re talking a big, giant commercial movie?” And Lethal Weapon is always right there, and some of the other films that Shane has written, so I couldn’t have been more happy. Hopefully he was as happy as I was with the experience.

The Union is available to stream on Netflix in the US now.

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