NEW YORK (AP) – Since it was revealed Mark Wahlberg is seeking a pardon in Massachusetts for assaults he committed as a teen, the actor is well aware that the court of public opinion has weighed in on why he wants one and whether he deserves it.
“Everyone has an opinion and has a reason why they think I’m doing it,” said the actor yesterday at the New York premiere of his new movie The Gambler, opening December 25.
“I’ve been working very hard to correct a lot of mistakes that I made since the day that I woke up and realised, ‘You know what? I need to be a leader instead of a follower’,” he said.
A document was filed November 26 requesting the pardon. It states in 1988, when Wahlberg was 16, he hit a man in the head with a wooden stick while trying to steal two cases of alcohol in front of a convenience store near his family’s home in the Dorchester section of Boston. He punched another man in the face while trying to avoid police.
Wahlberg admits in the application that he was high on marijuana and narcotics at the time.
He ended up being convicted as an adult of assault and other charges, and he was sentenced to three months in jail. He said he was released after serving about 45 days.
Wahlberg, 43, who went on to be a rapper and then A-list actor who’s been nominated for an Oscar, said he isn’t trying to use his public persona to sway the decision.
“In no way shape or form was I trying to use my celebrity or success to say, ‘Well, I feel entitled to get this because of the fame and fortune’.”
Instead he said “Every day I wake up trying to be the best person I can be”.
He also tries to set an example for kids growing up in tough neighbourhoods like he did.
“I’ve worked really hard to be a positive influence for kids growing up in communities like mine who don’t really have a chance, and try to provide an opportunity for them to be more successful and that’s why I’m doing it.”
The actor said he’s never shied away from talking about his troubled past.
