Mark Wahlberg wants The Fighter to be the next Rocky
Back in the late 70's and early 80's Mark Wahlberg was a big Rocky fan, and wasn't a stranger to the streets himself. As a tough young kid from Boston, Mark was no stranger to the law and even ended up doing a short stint in prison, which became his wake up call to turn his life around.
After becoming a famous rapper, Mark turned to acting and hasn't looked back since. However he hasn't forgotten where he came from, or his friends, as The Fighter is based on the true life story of his friend, the boxer Mark Ward, after promising for years to make a film about his life.
Wahlberg still remembers what it felt like to watch Rocky for the first time as a kid and still remember people's reactions:
"When I came out as a kid, I think I ran all the way from the theatre, imagining that kids were chasing me and the crowd’s getting bigger and bigger until I got to the museum."
Much to Wahlberg's delight kid's are obviously getting the same feeling from The fighter, he says:
"People are coming out of the theatre, bobbing and weaving and throwing punches and saying “head body, head body”, you know, that’s what Rocky was to me"
The Fighter is out in UK cinema's on February the 2nd 2011.