Mark Wahlberg reveals why he was 'a little pissed' at Martin Scorsese while shooting for 'The Departed'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Mark Wahlberg, known for his role in the 2006 crime thriller 'The Departed', recently shared his experience of working on the film, which wasn’t always harmonious with director Martin Scorsese.

Mark Wahlberg’s role and initial discontent with the director Martin Scorsese

Joining a star-studded cast that included Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin, and Martin Sheen, Wahlberg portrayed Staff Sergeant Sean Dignam.

His role was crucial to the storyline, selecting Trooper William 'Billy' Costigan Jr, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, to infiltrate the mob within the Massachusetts State Police.

On the 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast, Wahlberg expressed his initial frustration.

“I was a little pissed about a couple of things,” he admitted, adding, "but look, it all worked out in the end," he said.

Wahlberg was originally slated for a different role but he eventually saw the benefits of playing Dignam.

"I saw the advantages of playing that part and how I would approach the situation with everybody else playing opposite me," he said.

However, a change in the shooting schedule for 'The Departed' led to a conflict with Scorsese over Wahlberg’s appearance for his next film, 'Invincible'.

Mark Wahlberg got into a dispute as he grew his hair for 'Invincible'

As Wahlberg was initially in for a short time for ‘The Departed’, he grew his hair for his next project, ‘Invincible', a biopic of Philadelphia Eagles football star Vince Papale, which required him to have longer hair.

But then the schedule changed, and four months later, "I’m still working on ‘The Departed,’ so I wouldn’t cut my hair and Marty was pissed off,” Wahlberg recounted as Us Weekly reported. 

Despite Scorsese’s insistence, Wahlberg, who had also gotten hair extensions from ‘Invincible' set stood his ground, leading to a heated exchange. "I was like, ‘S*** took eight hours, I’m not taking them out."

"So we had a couple of issues but ultimately when I read that particular role, I was like okay this is a good role. This is an opportunity for me to really kind of go off and have some fun," he said. 

The disagreement was eventually resolved, and Wahlberg acknowledged Scorsese’s challenges.

“I understand where Marty was coming from,” he said, acknowledging the pressures the director faced with the high-profile cast and studio expectations.