Mark Wahlberg says his wife and daughter had a hilarious reaction to his bald head after he decided to shave off his hair for his upcoming film, Flight Risk.
On Monday, the actor, 53, spoke with ET’s Cassie DiLaura at the premiere of another one of his new movies, The Union, where he opened up about how his wife, Rhea Durham, and one of their daughters reacted to his new look. Wahlberg and Durham are parents to Ella, 20, Michael, 18, Brendan, 15, Grace, 14.
“That was one of the most fun reveals. I literally didn’t tell her. I came in with a hat on and I took the hat off, she dove — her and my daughter — dove under the covers screaming, yelling, going crazy,” he told ET. “They’re like, ‘Why didn’t you just wear a wig?'”
The Ted actor added, “But, you know, she liked when I finally cut everything off. She was comfortable with it.”
Back in July, Wahlberg took fans by surprise when he posted a photo from the set of Flight Risk — which releases on Oct. 18 — sporting a partially-shaved head to play a pilot tasked with transporting an FBI informant to testify in an important trial alongside a government agent. Downton Abbey‘s Michelle Dockery plays the FBI agent, while That 70’s Show alum Topher Grace plays the informant.
At the time, Wahlberg confirmed that he did not choose to rely on prosthetics to create the unique look.
“No bald cap for me?? we go all in @flightriskmovie October 18th ???,” Wahlberg wrote in the caption.
In the comments, Black Bird Emmy Award winner Paul Walter Hauser — who will star in a new comedy film titled Balls Up from the Deadpool & Wolverine writers alongside Molly Shannon and Wahlberg — joked, “Finally – the REAL Mark. Bloodied and balding and clumsily surreptitious.”
For the premiere of The Union, Wahlberg sported a full head of hair and a smile as he posed alongside his wife, 46, and their kids. He told ET that while they were happy to show up and support him, they also were ready to go home as soon as possible.
“They’re waiting to get out of here. They’ve seen the movie already and, you know, we had to basically threaten them with punishment to go and take a picture with us,” he quipped. “It was worth it just to see their discomfort.”
The Arthur the King star may have been willing to let the kids leave as it would give him some alone time with his model wife, who he recently marked 15 years of marriage with on Aug. 1. As for how their date nights have changed, he says things are pretty much the same.
“Just, you know, getting some time alone, watching a movie, going for a meal, going to hang out — even going to church,” Wahlberg said of what he and Durham’s date nights look like. “You know, it’s like just taking some time.”
The pair began dating in 2001 and have been by each other’s side for more than two decades.
The Union, which sees Wahlberg teaming up with Halle Berry and J.K. Simmons, follows a construction worker from New Jersey (Wahlberg) who is recruited by his long-lost high school love (Berry) to venture into the espionage business for a once-in-a-lifetime mission.
Watch the trailer for The Union in the player below:
The Union releases on Netflix worldwide on Aug. 16.
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