{"id":1425016,"date":"2022-04-08T07:45:15","date_gmt":"2022-04-08T11:45:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1425016"},"modified":"2022-04-08T07:45:22","modified_gmt":"2022-04-08T11:45:22","slug":"mark-wahlberg-on-tough-grace-mel-gibson-and-the-holy-week-priemere-of-father-stu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mark-wahlberg-on-tough-grace-mel-gibson-and-the-holy-week-priemere-of-father-stu\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Wahlberg On \u2018Tough Grace,\u2019 Mel Gibson, And The Holy Week Priemere Of \u2018Father Stu\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmark-wahlberg-on-tough-grace-mel-gibson-and-the-holy-week-priemere-of-father-stu%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1425016&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/MV5BMmU5MjUzNjgtMTJjOC00MDFmLThmNTAtMGY4NTk2MDJjMjRhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_-scaled-1.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" alt=\"image\" \/><\/div>\n<p>Reached in a phone interview, Mark Wahlberg, known for action blockbusters like \u201cUncharted\u201d and \u201cPlanet of the Apes,\u201d said a significant gap separates his new biopic \u201cFather Stu,\u201d in theaters nationwide on April 13, from other entries in the inspirational genre.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know if you\u2019ve seen a lot of faith-based movies, but I have,\u201d said Wahlberg, producer and star of this Sony-distributed faith-conscious drama. \u201cThey all seem to be preaching to the choir and not really converting too many people.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>With a trailer that employs Johnny Cash\u2019s iconic \u201cThe Man Comes Around,\u201d it sets the tone for a rough-and-tumble narrative centered on Stuart Long (Wahlberg), a statewide heavyweight champion (Montana, 1985) who\u2019s hit over and again with devastating blows in life.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"IFETRQorAW1aS7DL6\"><\/p>\n[embedded content]\n<p><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>An injury and reconstructive jaw surgery sidelines the amateur boxer, who decides to move to California to be an actor \u2014 despite an admonition from Stu\u2019s mother Kathleen (Jacki Weaver): \u201cYou don\u2019t belong with those L.A. folks. They\u2019re a bunch of fascist hippies!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s perhaps a tongue-in-cheek reference to Wahlberg\u2019s own six-year journey of bringing this unlikely story to the big screen. \u201cStudios today are looking to make tentpole, franchise movies,\u201d Wahlberg told me. \u201cOnly at the end of the year do they roll out thoughtful films for adults to watch, angling for awards. To see Sony step up and support this movie and distribute it in a major way, that says a lot.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Like the man himself, \u201cFather Stu\u201d doesn\u2019t fit easily in any boxes. Long ended up with few acting credits in SoCal and worked in a dead-end supermarket job. He strikes up a relationship with an attractive Latina woman, Carmen (Teresa Ruiz), whom he learns is also a Sunday school teacher. To pursue her, he starts to attend Catholic mass and even gets baptized.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Multiple crises strike Long, a theme many will relate to following recent difficult years. Despite skepticism from his mother and father Bill (Mel Gibson), former prizefighter Long decides to enter seminary, his messy romance with Carmen a casualty of that move.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe challenged a lot of people,\u201d said Wahlberg about Stu Long. \u201cMore importantly, he had a lot of real-life experience that helped him communicate to people in a way that really rang true and resonated with them.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>When A Priest Pitches His Producer Parishioner<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>In 2016, following his acclaimed role in war biopic \u201cLone Survivor\u201d and taking over as lead in the big-budget \u201cTransformers\u201d franchise, Wahlberg shared dinner with Father Ed Flavin \u2014 who presided over Wahlberg\u2019s wedding ceremony \u2014 and another priest at a Beverly Hills restaurant.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was looking for wisdom to stay on a path in the direction of spiritual growth,\u201d he said. \u201cBut one of them starts to tell me about Stuart Long and actually pitching it to me as a movie idea. I\u2019m thinking, <em>You do your job and I\u2019ll do mine<\/em>. But something caught my attention about it, and a light went on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The world\u2019s highest-paid actor in 2017, Wahlberg took on the project despite no script and few source documents for a figure known in many Catholic circles but without a written biography.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He considers the opportunity providential, despite the challenges. \u201cGod puts things in your life for a reason, when you\u2019re ready to handle those things,\u201d he told me. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t think this is any different.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On the set of \u201cDaddy\u2019s Home 2\u201d that year with Gibson, he chatted with the actor-director about the remarkable story of a boxer-turned-priest. When it comes to brutal, unconventional faith films, award winner Gibson has helmed the most successful of all time: \u201cThe Passion of the Christ.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Dogged by <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2020\/film\/news\/mel-gibson-controversies-career-1234696080\/\">controversy<\/a> since 2006 \u2014 when Gibson made offensive anti-Semitic comments during a DUI arrest, for which he has made several apologies \u2014 Wahlberg treads lightly in addressing his friend\u2019s involvement and advice that helped get \u201cFather Stu\u201d off the ground.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has been through lots of struggles and challenges but wants to continue to do good,\u201d Wahlberg told me. \u201cWe consulted Stu\u2019s dad Bill about who to cast, and Mel was his first, second, and third choice. He frankly brought a lot to the part.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>An emerging talent in the biopic genre, and Gibson\u2019s romantic partner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/tvshowbiz\/article-9244279\/Mel-Gibson-65-joins-partner-Rosalind-Ross-30-day-playground-kids.html\">since<\/a> 2014, Rosalind Ross took on the script. Wahlberg and his team were so impressed, she ultimately landed the job as director. \u201cStu\u2019s story is about overcoming the darkest parts of a person\u2019s self to find the light of personal salvation,\u201d said Ross in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"0kRAaxeVXmLC2WFd9uj63O5oPBU\"><\/p>\n[embedded content]\n<p><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2><strong>The Brawler Who Can Break Skeptics<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Known for pouring his influence and millions of dollars into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markwahlbergyouthfoundation.org\/mission\">nonprofit youth initiatives<\/a>, along with cause-oriented films like \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2018\/11\/20\/mark-wahlberg-comedy-shines-spotlight-on-everyday-foster-care-heroes\/\">Instant Family<\/a>,\u201d Wahlberg has brand ID with faith-and-family audiences. Still, it\u2019s a gamble that an R-rated faith biopic will find a wide audience even during Holy Week.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>With that rating based entirely on coarse language, mostly in early scenes, Wahlberg responds: \u201cStu was a tough guy who spoke the language of the people. This story is about mercy and tough grace, and we wanted to make a movie that was brutally honest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The film takes wild swings in tone. Viewers meet Long when he\u2019s a foul-mouthed brawler, and his interest in Carmen isn\u2019t mostly platonic. Once he enters seminary, \u201cFather Stu\u201d becomes more comedic, as Long throws a swing at someone who brings booze near their hallowed walls. During a prison ministry scene, his fellow seminarian struggles to relate but Long has a casual rapport with inmates.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"T5XMJ6j2naz4QBis7mtkFAxIfVNrHv8UgW39pDGoSK1u\"><\/p>\n[embedded content]\n<p><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>And, in scenes reminiscent of arthouse cinema-like \u201cFirst Reformed,\u201d Wahlberg cries out to God about his life\u2019s many limitations and losses. The actor-producer recalls speaking with Archbishop George Thomas, who ordained Long. \u201cHe said that Stu did more in his four short years of priesthood than the bishop did in his 40 years of service. That\u2019s pretty remarkable.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Used to Hollywood cynicism about faith, Wahlberg says he\u2019s gotten plenty of \u201cYeah, whatever\u201d responses upon telling a test audience for \u201cFather Stu\u201d that they\u2019re going to be moved. \u201cAfterward, those same skeptics come out and share some intimate story from their past, and connect it to how this movie touched them,\u201d Wahlberg told me.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/kateohare\/2022\/04\/father-stu-mark-wahlberg-mel-gibson-catholic\/\">he has<\/a> other authentic, faith-conscious stories in mind to tell. \u201cSomebody\u2019s got to be first. And if this movie works, I guarantee you\u2019ll see lots more \u2014 including a few with me at the forefront.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Rated R for coarse language throughout, \u201cFather Stu\u201d opens in theaters nationwide on April 13.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<p>\n  Josh Shepherd covers culture, faith, and public policy for several media outlets including The Stream. His articles have appeared in Christianity Today, Religion &#038; Politics, Faithfully Magazine, Religion News Service, and Providence Magazine. A graduate of the University of Colorado, he previously worked on staff at The Heritage Foundation and Focus on the Family. Josh and his wife live in the Washington, D.C. area with their two children.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reached in a phone interview, Mark Wahlberg, known for action blockbusters like \u201cUncharted\u201d and \u201cPlanet of the Apes,\u201d said a significant gap separates his new biopic \u201cFather Stu,\u201d in theaters<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":626,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1425016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1425016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/626"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1425016"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1425016\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1425016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1425016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1425016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}