Mark Wahlberg Became Producer to Land Roles Before Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise

• Mark Wahlberg told Cigar Aficionado magazine that he became a producer “out of necessity.”
• He said as a producer, he doesn’t have to wait for stars like Brad Pitt to reject roles he wants.
• Wahlberg also questioned how much longer he will continue acting “at the pace I am now.”

Mark Wahlberg said he became a producer so that he wouldn’t have to wait for stars like Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Tom Cruise to pass on coveted roles before he is considered for the part.

Over the past 20 years, the actor has pivoted to producing TV series and movies such as “Father Stu,” “Entourage” and “Boardwalk Empire,” as well as remaining in front of the screen.

In a new interview with Cigar Aficionado magazine for its September/October issue, Wahlberg said that he began producing “out of necessity.”

“The reason I started producing was because I didn’t want to sit around waiting for Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise or whoever was already established before me and were the guys at the time, and Leo to go and pass on a movie until I could get my hands on it,” Wahlberg explained. “So I was always proactive in trying to find material and things that I could produce, that I knew was right for me, create my own destiny.”

Wahlberg added that he also wants to have more creative control of the films in which he is a lead actor.

“If I’m gonna be in that position I’d rather be behind the wheel,” he said. “You’re going 100 miles an hour down the highway, do you want to be in the back seat with no seatbelt or do you want to be behind the wheel?”

Elsewhere in the interview, Wahlberg said that he is currently working hard to leave a viable business for his four children with Rhea Durham — Ella, Michael, Brendan, and Grace — to one day inherit.

However, the actor also questioned how much longer he will continue acting in multiple projects back-to-back.

“Well, I’m certainly working harder now than ever,” Wahlberg said (via The Hollywood Reporter). “Certain businesses, you kind of build them, pass them on or you exit. Hopefully my kids, we’ll see what their interests are, but I don’t think that I’ll be acting that much longer at the pace I am now. That’s for sure. Because that’s the most difficult thing.”

Wahlberg first suggested finding opportunities outside of Hollywood “sooner rather than later” in an interview with Entertainment Tonight last year. At the time, the actor had moved with his family from Hollywood to Las Vegas.

Wahlberg told Fox News in March that he decided to move to provide a better life for his children.

“It’s really giving the kids a chance to thrive,” the “Uncharted” star said. “There’s lots of opportunity here as well for me. We’re trying to create a studio. We’re trying to build the shoe factory. We want to create lots of jobs here.”