During an April 12 appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” Wahlberg confirmed that the foot-long prop is in his home to this day. “Is it true that you still have the prosthetic you wore in ‘Boogie Nights’?” DeGeneres asked. “Yes, yes. It’s in a safe locked away,” Wahlberg replied. “It’s not something I could leave out. All of a sudden my kids are looking for a spare phone charger and pull that thing out and go, ‘What the heck is this?!’ It wouldn’t be a good look.” Wahlberg noted that his daughter has watched the film, but has yet to “have the conversation with me” about the iconic sex scenes. The “Daddy’s Home” actor previously joked that he may sell the “Boogie Nights” prop at a charity auction after his “very uncomfortable” experience with it on set.
The 1997 film marked a turning point in Wahlberg’s onscreen career coming off his rapper/underwear model persona. “The expectations were so low when I started acting,” Wahlberg recalled. “You do something remotely interesting, ‘Oh my god, he’s fantastic!’ Next thing you know, they nominate me for an Oscar and I didn’t even do anything. But I definitely worked harder than everybody and I wanted to make sure that I could prove to filmmakers that I was capable of doing the best job for them and I would do anything for them.” Wahlberg has been nominated for two Academy Awards, one in 2007 for Best Supporting Actor in “The Departed” and another in 2011 as a producer when “The Fighter” was up for Best Picture. Looking ahead, Wahlberg hinted that he may be stepping away from the spotlight “sooner rather than later, probably” to spend more time with his family. Until then, Wahlberg is determined to make more projects with a message behind them, bringing real-life inspiring stories like “Joe Bell” and “Father Stu” to the big screen. “I feel like this is starting a new chapter for me in that, now, doing things like this [with] real substance can help people,” Wahlberg said recently. “I definitely want to focus on making more. I wouldn’t say necessarily just faith-based content but things that will help people.”
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