Mark Wahlbergis detailing his approach to introducing his religious beliefs to his children.The 50-year-old actor appeared onTodayThursday morning and spoke about his upcoming filmFather Stu— hitting theaters April 15 — where he portrays Stuart Long, a real-life boxer-turned-priest.Wahlberg said that, as a Catholic man, there are parallels between the film and his life, which is why he’s so passionate about the project.However, he’s not interested in forcing his beliefs onto his children — daughtersElla, 18, and Grace Margaret, 12, plus sonsMichael, 16, andBrendan, 13, whom he shares with wife Rhea Durham.“They think Dad’s crazy, and he’s boring,” he joked toHoda Kotb. “But even with my faith, I don’t force it on them. But they know that Dad can’t start the day without being in prayer, can’t start the day without reading my Scripture or going to Mass.““And hopefully, instead of forcing that on them, they’ll say, ‘Well, if it works for Dad, maybe it’ll work for us,’ and they’ll kind of gravitate towards it on their own,” Wahlberg added.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.mark wahlberg/ instagramFather Stuisn’t the first film that has resonated with the Oscar-nominated actor.Last year, Wahlbergtold Fox Newsthat being a dad affected his approach to his movieJoe Bell —which told the story of an Oregonian man who raised awareness about suicide prevention and anti-bullying after the death of his 15-year-old son Jadin, who came out as gay.The actor said he wants to “make sure that people are, and especially parents, that they’re listening to their children and are hearing what’s going on with them, that they love them unconditionally and support them and really root for them and cheer them on in anything that they decide that they want to do, as long as it’s positive, productive.“Building the on-screen relationship between Bell and his son Jadin, Wahlberg drew from his own connections with his kids.“I really felt that as a parent — more than as an actor or producer — having four children and I have now a 15-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl,” he said back in July, “and I just felt like diving right in wanting to really understand who Joe was, wanting to make sure that the family knew what our intentions were because it’s obviously an overwhelming amount of responsibility when telling a story like this and knowing how would it affect [Bell’s widow] Lola, how would it affect [Jadin’s brother] Joseph?““Hopefully it would maybe bring some healing and, more importantly, prevent other families from having to go through the same thing,” added Wahlberg.
Mark Wahlbergis detailing his approach to introducing his religious beliefs to his children.
The 50-year-old actor appeared onTodayThursday morning and spoke about his upcoming filmFather Stu— hitting theaters April 15 — where he portrays Stuart Long, a real-life boxer-turned-priest.
Wahlberg said that, as a Catholic man, there are parallels between the film and his life, which is why he’s so passionate about the project.However, he’s not interested in forcing his beliefs onto his children — daughtersElla, 18, and Grace Margaret, 12, plus sonsMichael, 16, andBrendan, 13, whom he shares with wife Rhea Durham.
“They think Dad’s crazy, and he’s boring,” he joked toHoda Kotb. “But even with my faith, I don’t force it on them. But they know that Dad can’t start the day without being in prayer, can’t start the day without reading my Scripture or going to Mass.”
“And hopefully, instead of forcing that on them, they’ll say, ‘Well, if it works for Dad, maybe it’ll work for us,’ and they’ll kind of gravitate towards it on their own,” Wahlberg added.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
mark wahlberg/ instagram
Father Stuisn’t the first film that has resonated with the Oscar-nominated actor.
Last year, Wahlbergtold Fox Newsthat being a dad affected his approach to his movieJoe Bell —which told the story of an Oregonian man who raised awareness about suicide prevention and anti-bullying after the death of his 15-year-old son Jadin, who came out as gay.
The actor said he wants to “make sure that people are, and especially parents, that they’re listening to their children and are hearing what’s going on with them, that they love them unconditionally and support them and really root for them and cheer them on in anything that they decide that they want to do, as long as it’s positive, productive.”
Building the on-screen relationship between Bell and his son Jadin, Wahlberg drew from his own connections with his kids.
“I really felt that as a parent — more than as an actor or producer — having four children and I have now a 15-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl,” he said back in July, “and I just felt like diving right in wanting to really understand who Joe was, wanting to make sure that the family knew what our intentions were because it’s obviously an overwhelming amount of responsibility when telling a story like this and knowing how would it affect [Bell’s widow] Lola, how would it affect [Jadin’s brother] Joseph?”
“Hopefully it would maybe bring some healing and, more importantly, prevent other families from having to go through the same thing,” added Wahlberg.
source: people.com
