Every actor has to get their start somewhere, including “Blue Bloods” star Donnie Wahlberg. He starred in 1999’s hit “The Sixth Sense.”
Although, audiences may have a difficult time recognizing him. He played Vincent Grey, a mentally disturbed patient of Bruce Willis’s psychiatrist. Not spoiling a 22-year-old movie, but in a film full of ghosts and other supernatural entities, Wahlberg’s character was the most terrifying thing in it. Perhaps, because he felt so real.
Wahlberg recently took a stroll down memory lane, revisiting one of his early films. He had made the jump from singing with New Kids on the Block to acting in the 1990s. Wahlberg joked about no one recognizing him for the part. He wrote on Twitter, “It was me. I was very hungry.”
‘Blue Bloods’ Star Reflects on ‘The Sixth Sense’
Donnie Wahlberg may have jokes now. But over 20 years ago, the “Blue Bloods” star went through a lot to prepare for the part. The actor became enamored with the script, doing the role for a low fee. He also went through a stressful transformation process.
“This was a game-changer for me. Every day for years people would say, ‘Dude, I didn’t know that was you,’ ” Wahlberg told USA Today. “At that time, I did exactly what I needed to do for the role. I had to look like I was going through hell. I went to a really dark place.”
Originally, director M. Night Shyamalan envisioned the character as goth, wearing black clothing. But Wahlberg asked if he could film the scene naked. He wanted to portray a man, who had lost his mind and stopped taking care of himself.
“I starved myself, I would fast for two days then only eat steamed cabbage and drink beet juice. I would chew gum all day. And I would literally walk around the streets to burn thousands of calories. I didn’t shower for weeks,” Wahlberg continued. “I just wasn’t taking care of myself and I was a loner. That was as close as I could come to this guy. I definitely had to suffer in the only way I could.”
So Wahlberg was actually very hungry while preparing for the role. He ended up losing 43 pounds to play the part. Not even the director recognized him when he showed up to set.
But then the studio demanded a PG-13 rating. Wahlberg admittedly felt angry after all the work he did. He struck a compromise in which he still ended up shirtless for the scene. The results proved to be terrifying.
