While he certainly seems to appreciate the fruit of the Boogie Nights tree, in 2017 Wahlberg was sounding a little less #blessed about the experience.
"I just always hope that God is a movie fan and also forgiving, because I've made some poor choices in my past," he said at an event in Chicago. Naming names, he added, "Boogie Nights is up there at the top of the list."
To be fair, the devout Catholic was standing next to a cardinal during a faith-themed event. But his comments made the rounds, and when his co-star Julianne Moore appeared on Watch What Happens Live soon after, Andy Cohen obviously asked about it.
"Oh my God, I think he should thank God for Boogie Nights. It made his career!" Moore said. "Yeah, my God, it's a great movie. He was great in it."
Happily, Wahlberg clarified to Cohen soon after that he was, in fact, joking. "Boogie Nights is the defining performance of my career, it made me considered credible as an actor," the two-time Oscar nominee stressed. That being said, "there are times now, I'm married, I've got four kids. I know my wife would not love to see me pretending to have sex with random women."
When he made that crack, Wahlberg explained, he was "speaking to 5,000 young Catholic kids" and just trying to be funny. "I've failed at other attempts at being funny," he noted, "so it wasn't like I needed to go out and defend myself."