J.J. Abrams‘ Star Trek movie might’ve rebooted Captain Kirk’s backstory, but it could’ve looked even more different — Mark Wahlberg almost played Captain Kirk’s father. The only reason he passed on the role? He couldn’t understand the script.
“I remember [Abrams] asking me to play Captain Kirk’s father in Star Trek,” Wahlberg told Total Film while promoting his latest movie, Broken City. “I tried to read the script, but I couldn’t understand the words or the dialogue or anything and I said I couldn’t do [it].”
It’s fun to picture a puzzled Wahlberg reading over the script, scratching his head and wondering what was Happening. (Get it? Because he was in that movie, The Happening?) Don’t worry, he finally figured out what was going on. “I saw the movie and I was like holy s**t, he did a great job.”
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Rest assured, Wahlberg won’t be making the same mistake when Abrams takes on another beloved sci-fi franchise, Star Wars. “I love J.J. Abrams. I’ve only seen the original Star Wars when I was a kid,” Wahlberg admitted. “I’m interested to see what J.J. [does]. … I think he’ll do something spectacular, and I probably wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to work with J.J. again.”
It probably worked out for the best, though, because the role eventually went to Chris Hemsworth, giving most Americans their first magical glimpse at one of Australia’s greatest exports. Does this mean that Wahlberg could’ve played Thor, too?
Check out the interview below:
Follow Jean on Twitter @hijean
[PHOTO CREDIT: Wenn]
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