In 1997 Mark Wahlberg landed a role that would make him the talk of his fans and all of Hollywood, really, for years to come.
Of course, by this time, the longtime performer had made his name as the tough-but-adorable Marky Mark in the popular 1990s hip-hop group, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. Wahlberg had also already landed a frighteningly impressive role opposite Reese Witherspoon in the 1996 hit, Fear.
But, none of this would compare to the fame he would soon find after starring in the cult-classic hit, Boogie Nights.
Many would say the longtime actor’s star shone brightly in that performance. So bright in fact, that it seems to be the catalyst for the prolific film career Mark Wahlberg since enjoyed.
In a recent Instagram post, the longtime actor paid tribute to this career-making role as he reflects on a bright sign that holds his Boogie Night’s character’s name, Dirk Diggler, in big, bright, and shiny neon letters.
“The sign is so bright,” the famous actor says in the Wednesday, December 1 Instagram post.
Mark Wahlberg shares a video in the Instagram post featuring himself sitting down with the Dirk Diggler Boogie Nights sigh right behind him.
“The Dirk Diggler light,” the star says in the post.
“Whoa,” Wahlberg adds.”It’s so bright it just…explodes!
Mark Wahlberg Finds Fame Along With Dirk Diggler
In the wildly popular 1997 film, Wahlberg portrays a young dishwasher at a nightclub who soon becomes one of the porn industry’s biggest stars, Dirk Diggler.
The film chronicles the rise of the fictional character’s career while following a somewhat true depiction of the industry over the 1970s and 1980s.
Starring alongside Mark Wahlberg in the film are some big-time Hollywood heavyweights such as Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, and William H. Macy.
While the film was the Boston native’s first experience working with some Hollywood icons, Wahlberg’s acting career would soon take off, leading him into roles with some other major stars, such as his role opposite Jack Nicholson in the 2006 Martin Scorsese flick, The Departed.
In the film, Mark Wahlberg portrays detective Sean Dignam as part of a team designated to take down the crime syndicate run by Nicholson’s character, Frank Costello.
The film was a hit, for sure. However, Nicholson had to flex a little bit of his star power when it came to a couple of on-camera wardrobe issues.
“First of all, they wanted me to wear a Red Sox hat,” Jack Nicholson told New York Magazine in 2006.
“But I said, all things being equal, I don’t want to,” the Yankees fan continues.
“My Yanks, they came before the Lakers, of course,” the star adds.
“Jack can do whatever Jack wants,” Wahlberg has said of his costar’s ward-robe concerns. “He’s Jack, baby.”
