Mark Wahlberg says he'll leave Hollywood 'sooner rather than later'

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By Carina Murphy

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He's been one of the biggest names in Hollywood for years - but now it looks like Mark Wahlberg's movie-making days may be numbered.

During an interview with ET to promote his latest film, Father Stu, the 50-year-old actor opened up about the future of his career.

As well as committing to making more faith-based content in the future, Wahlberg - who is a staunch Catholic - also let slip that he might not be staying in the movie business for much longer.

When asked when he'll know it is time to leave Hollywood behind, the star responded that it will be "sooner rather than later."

The actor has more than 60 movies to his name. But, as he explained, his most important role is as a father - and he's reached an age where he's finding it harder to leave his family behind while on set.

"It's gotta be something special to really bring me, you know, to leave home, to leave those guys behind," he explained, adding: "Because it's the biggest sacrifice in the making for sure."

Wahlberg shares four children with his wife Rhea Durham - Ella, 18, Michael, 16, Brendan, 13, and Grace, 12.

Later in the interview, he spoke at length about his career's new, religiously inspired direction. Father Stu - a biopic of real-life boxer-turned priest Stuart Long - was a passion project for Wahlberg, who financed the film himself.

He also said working on the movie has made him realize that he wants to get involved in more projects with "real substance" from now on.

"I feel like this is starting a new chapter for me in that, now, doing things like this -- real substance -- can help people," he said.

"I definitely want to focus on making more. I wouldn't say necessarily just faith-based content but things that will help people. So, hopefully this movie will open a door for not only myself but for lots of other people in Hollywood to make more meaningful content," the actor added.

The switch to more serious, faith-based films is a big change for Wahlberg, who has often been known for starring in actioned-packed, big-budget blockbusters like The Italian Job and The Departed.

But if his commitment to his latest role is anything to go by, Wahlberg is more than ready to throw himself into to his new style of movies. In order to play Father Stu, the actor gained a whopping 30 pounds in just six weeks by putting away 11,000 calories a day.

In order to hit this huge intake, he developed a stomach-turning habit - drinking olive oil by the glass full.

"I tried to do it in a healthy way," he explained. "It was a dozen eggs and a dozen pieces of bacon, two baked potatoes, a Porterhouse steak, two bowls of white rice, and a glass of olive oil," he told ET.

Featured Image Credit: REUTERS / Alamy