“Putting mark wahlberg in a movie about racism and bigotry, sounds like a bio pic”: Fans slam By Any Means casting actor with troubled past

Fans called out Mark Wahlberg amid the release of his upcoming film By Any Means. It is scheduled to hit the theatres on September 4, 2026.

Some social media users slammed the 55-year-old for his controversial past involving racially motivated violence. According to a BBC report, in 1988, when Wahlberg was a teenager, he attacked two Vietnamese men while using racial epithets. He reportedly pleaded guilty to assault charges and served time. He later sought a pardon (which was not granted) and has publicly expressed regret.

Keeping his past in mind, a user commented on Threads that By Any Means sounds like Wahlberg’s biopic. They wrote on the social media platform:

“Putting mark wahlberg in a movie about racism and bigotry, sounds like a bio pic.”

Continue reading for more details.

Fans react to casting Mark Wahlberg in “By Any Means” due to trouble past

Mark Wahlberg has drawn attention due to his controversial past amid the release of his film By Any Means. The historical crime thriller is set in 1960s Mississippi and is based on themes of racism, violence and civil rights.

Wahlberg stars as mafia hitman Gregory Scarpa in the film. It also stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as FBI agent Wayne Strider. The supporting cast includes Josh Lucas, LisaGay Hamilton, Giancarlo Esposito, among others. The story centres around an FBI agent and a mafia hitman who team up to investigate the murders of civil rights leaders in 1966 Mississippi.

The Departed actor has been facing public backlash and criticism surrounding his casting and role in the Elegance Bratton directorial. They are largely based on Walhberg’s historical convictions for racially motivated hate crimes from his youth.

The netizens have pointed out the irony, as in the film Mark Wahlberg fights racism while referencing his history of throwing rocks and using racial slurs against Black children and attacking Vietnamese-American men.

A person wrote on Threads:

“They will put this racist in movies about racism, put Coke Smuggler Tim Allen in kids/Santa movies, and cast that rich cannibal dude as a love interest but will cancel and bar a Black person in a heartbeat for anything.”

Another added:

“Me in the cinema when watching the trailer knowing his hate crime past actions.”

A third said:

“He's playing the racist? Easiest for him since he is one.”

A fourth commented:

“From the moment I saw him in that movie, Fear, he did years ago, I knew he wasn’t right. It felt like he wasn’t acting, just tapping into his real persona.”

A fifth user said:

“I’ve never understood why everybody forgets the horrendous things he did.”

Others have argued that Mark Wahlberg is inappropriate for By Any Means due to his real-life history involving racism. He has been the perpetrator of hate crimes. Reportedly, in 1986, Wahlberg and his friends chased Black fourth-graders and other black youths. They threw rocks at them and yelled racial epithets. A civil rights injunction was subsequently filed against him.

In 1988, Wahlberg attacked a Vietnamese-American man named Thanh Lam. He shouted racial slurs at him and knocked him unconscious with a five-foot wooden stick. He punched another Vietnamese-American named Hoa Trinh in the eye while hiding from the police. After serving 45 days in jail, Walhberg later apologized for his actions.

In late 2014, Mark Wahlberg filed an official pardon application with the Massachusetts Board of Pardons to clear his 1988 felony assault conviction and wrote in the petition:

Trending

"I am deeply sorry for the actions that I took on the night of 8 April, 1988, as well as for any lasting damage that I may have caused the victims. Since that time, I have dedicated myself to becoming a better person and citizen so that I can be a role model to my children and others."

Before his recent criticism, viewers criticized Mark Wahlberg in 2023 while presenting the final ensemble award to the Asian cast of Everything Everywhere All at Once at the Screen Actors Guild Awards that year.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback