Mark Wahlberg as Mike McKenna in ‘The Union.’ Photo Credit: Laura Radford, Netflix.
Academy Award nominee Mark Wahlberg chatted about his new movie “The Union,” which will premiere on Netflix on Friday, August 16, 2024.
Wahlberg stars in this spy action thriller opposite Oscar winner Halle Berry, and he also serves as an executive producer on this film.
Olympic runner Steve Prefontaine once said: “To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.” This quote applies to Mark Wahlberg.
Synopsis of ‘The Union’
The synopsis is: Mike (Mark Wahlberg) is happy living a simple life as a construction worker in his native New Jersey – until his long-lost high school sweetheart, Roxanne (Halle Berry), shows up with more on her mind than romance.
Knowing he’s the right man for the job, Roxanne recruits Mike on a dangerous intelligence mission in Europe that thrusts them back together into a world of spies and high-speed car chases, with sparks flying along the way.
Wahlberg on the cast of actors
“The Union” was directed by Julian Farino, and aside from Wahlberg and Berry, it also stars Mike Colter, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jessica De Gouw, Alice Lee, Oscar nominee Jackie Earle Haley (“Little Children”), and Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash”). “We have a phenomenal cast,” Wahlberg exclaimed.
Mark Wahlberg: The lead actor and executive producer of ‘The Union’
On his experience executive producing and acting in “The Union,” Wahlberg said, “It was phenomenal. We had a wonderful time. It was a great experience; the end result is fantastic. I can’t wait for the audiences to see the film.”
Portraying Mike McKenna in ‘The Union’
In “The Union,” Mike is an affable construction worker in New Jersey whose life changes at the bar one night when he runs into Roxanne, his high school sweetheart who left their hometown several decades ago.
Their impromptu date goes off the rails when Mike wakes up in a London hotel and Roxanne explains how she is involved with a top-secret spy network called The Union.
“There are a lot of things about Mike that I can relate to,” he admitted. “Mike had one goal in life: he wanted one more shot at the love of his life, and hopefully, convincing her that he was the right guy for her.”
“Mike spent 25 years waiting for her to walk back through that door,” he noted.
Filming ‘The Union’ in London
“I also remember going to London for the first time after never leaving my neighborhood, and basically flying over there by myself, and being in complete and utter shock,” he acknowledged.
“I was supposed to be there for a couple of weeks, and I only lasted a day and a half,” he said. “For us, there was so much wish fulfillment, and I think that is something that audiences can relate to and enjoy.”
“We were very excited to be able to make the movie,” he added.
Wahlberg on Lorraine Bracco as his on-screen mother
In “The Union,” Oscar nominee Lorraine Bracco (“Goodfellas” and “The Sopranos’) plays his on-screen mother, Lorraine McKenna. “Lorraine is a legend,” he exclaimed. “Lorraine is so amazing. We had a great time working together.”
Lessons learned from this role and screenplay
On the lessons learned from this role and script, Wahlberg reflected, “This screenplay taught me that it doesn’t matter where you come from… there isn’t anything you can’t accomplish, especially if you are willing to go and do the work.”
“Everything we do is super aspirational anyway, so it really falls in line with us,” he said. “If there is something you want to do, you need to go out there and try to make it happen.
“The only thing worse than failure is regret,” he underscored.
“Also, regretting never having taken the chance to pursue your dream, or trying to fulfill your destiny, and accomplishing what you feel like you can, but not willing to go out there and just have a go at it,” he elaborated.
The digital age
On being a part of the digital age, now with streaming, technology, and social media being so prevalent, Wahlberg said, “I feel old and a little out of touch but I’m trying to figure it out as we go.”
Stage of his life
Regarding the title of the current chapter of his life, Wahlberg revealed, “The Drag Out Period.”
“We are trying to drag this out as long as we can now,” he said. “I’m on this side of 50, so we’re just trying to have some longevity here.”
Advice for young and emerging actors
For young and aspiring actors, Wahlberg said, “Don’t take ‘no’ for an answer, and continue to pursue a path to getting your stories told and the opportunities that you want. Remember that it’s a marathon and not a sprint.”
“Sometimes, people put so much emphasis on one particular thing, and it’s really about a slow gradual build to really build a body of work, and if you are out there, hopefully, we get to work together one day,” he elaborated.
Success
On his definition of the word success, Wahlberg said, “Giving it everything that you have.”
“Again, you are not going to win all the time, you are not going to succeed all the time, but you will always feel good if you did everything you could to give yourself the best chance to succeed… that’s the thing. It’s about the effort and it’s about the work,” he emphasized.
Wahlberg continued, “Once you’ve done the work, you prepare, something might not go your way, the ball might not bounce your way, or someone might be better than you on that day — I always look at it as an athlete — but if you’ve done everything you could to prepare, you didn’t cut any corners, and you didn’t take any days off, then, you can always feel good about the effort.”
Closing thoughts on ‘The Union’
For fans and viewers, Wahlberg remarked, “I want them to be wildly entertained, and hopefully, they will want to see more, so we can get Lorraine [Bracco], Halle [Berry], and everybody together again.”
American author and speaker John C. Maxwell once said: “Dreams don’t work unless you do.” Mark Wahlberg embodies this wise quote. Wahlberg’s career in the entertainment industry, life story, drive, and work ethic are an inspiration to us all.
“The Union” will be available to stream on Netflix by clicking here.
To learn more about Mark Wahlberg, follow him on Instagram.