- Head's 'good night at office' after century seals win over England
- Dubois seeks legitimacy with Joshua scalp
- Rate cut could lift consumer spirits before US elections
- Last-gasp Gimenez strike sends Atletico past Leipzig
- Barca stumble at Monaco after early red card
- Raya heroics save Arsenal in Champions League opener at Atalanta
- Cathay Airbus engine fire linked to cleaning: EU regulator
- Guardians beat Twins to secure MLB playoff berth
- Jihadist attack in Mali capital killed more than 70: security sources
- Alonso hails 'efficient' Leverkusen after Feyenoord rout
- Head's hundred seals Australia win over England in 1st ODI
- Ex-Man United striker Anthony Martial joins AEK Athens
- NFL unbeatens meet as Texans visit Vikings, Steelers host Chargers
- Head's hundred seals Australia win over England in 1st ODI after Labuschagne strikes
- Dream debut for Wirtz as Leverkusen thump dire Feyenoord
- Myanmar flood death toll climbs to 293: state media
- Israel army says West Bank air strike kills 4 militants
- LIV golfers get green light for US Ryder Cup team, PGA Championship
- US accuses social media giants of 'vast surveillance'
- Ten Hag to bed Hojlund, Mount in carefully when they return for Man Utd
- Breaking bad as McIlroy endures 'weird' day
- EU chief announces $11 bn for nations hit by 'heartbreaking' floods
- Spanish PM, Palestinian leader urge Mideast de-escalation
- New study reinforces theory Covid emerged at Chinese market
- World Bank boosts climate financing by 10 percent
- Bagnaia eyeing summit on home ground in 100th MotoGP
- 'Something was wrong', defendant in French mass rape tells court
- Hezbollah chief admits 'unprecedented' blow in device blasts
- Sales of US existing homes slip slightly in August
- Fear, panic haunt Lebanese after devices explode
- Labuschagne sparks Australia fightback in England ODI opener
- S.Africa's HIV research power couple says fight goes on
- Why is Israel focusing on border with Lebanon?
- Mpox vaccines administered in Rwanda, first in Africa
- US Fed rate cut is 'very positive sign' for economy: Yellen
- Unknown Mozart string trio discovered in Germany
- 'Are we five-year-olds?' F1 drivers won't mind their language
- Brazil judge orders X to reimpose block or face hefty fine
- Munich to rename stadium street after Beckenbauer
- Champions Italy to face Argentina in Davis Cup Final 8
- The winding, fitful path to weight loss drug Ozempic
- Italians defeat American Magic to reach Louis Vuitton Cup final
- Norris has 'nothing to lose' as he hunts Verstappen in Singapore
- Kyiv 'outraged' at Swiss showing of Russian war film
- French city renames Abbe Pierre square after abuse claims
- Footballer charged after huge cannabis seizure at UK airport
- Vatican recognises Medjugorje shrine, but not Virgin's messages
- Israel bombs Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon after wave of deadly blasts
- Bank of England freezes rate after jumbo US cut
- Playing Nadal is 'kind of a nightmare', says Alcaraz
Mark Wahlberg piles on the pounds as boxer-turned-priest
Mark Wahlberg has a famously punishing physical routine that has kept the 50-year-old in enviable shape.
But for his latest outing, "Father Stu," he had to ditch the training and eat. A lot.
"Porterhouse steaks, baked potatoes, a dozen eggs every morning, a dozen pieces of bacon, two bowls of white rice, a glass of olive oil," he tells AFP.
"Lots of high protein for the first two weeks; second two weeks, we had lots of starch. And then the last two weeks, we had lots of sodium to kind of get the bloating effect, but not fun at all."
The physical transformation from taut athlete to out-of-shape and overweight was in aid of his role as Stuart Long, an amateur boxer who hangs up his gloves after an injury and moves to Hollywood to become an actor.
Odd-jobbing in a supermarket, Long meets Carmen, played by Teresa Ruiz ("Narcos"), and sets out to win her heart by going to her church.
His avowed agnosticism gives way to genuine faith, and he decides he will become a priest, despite the skepticism of his parents, played by Jacki Weaver (Oscar-nominated for "Silver Linings Playbook") and Mel Gibson ("Braveheart").
He must also face his biggest challenge: a diagnosis of a degenerative disease that will rob him of the use of his body.
For Wahlberg, who also produced the movie, the real-life story of "Father Stu" is a departure from previous action outings like "Mile 22" and "Uncharted" -- but, he insists, not unexpected.
"It's an unusual role, but it's also (a) pretty obvious choice if you kind of know me and my own personal journey and what I'm looking to do as I get older and try to find things that have a little bit more meaning and purpose," he told AFP.
"But I always felt like I was... tasked to do it for a reason.
"This is for God's greater good and so to do that, and utilize my talents and gifts for that particular purpose is something that I embraced," he said.
- Reflection of community -
Along with its unabashedly religious theme -- the film will be released in the United States ahead of the Easter Weekend -- "Father Stu" also zooms in on family, and on human kindness.
For Ruiz, these elements all came together in her character.
"I liked that she was very kind and very generous and she had a very rooted faith," Ruiz said.
"That was something that I've seen in my community, it's something that I've seen in my mother, so I really enjoyed being able to portray that for a worldwide audience."
The cast of "Father Stu," which also includes Malcolm McDowell ("A Clockwork Orange"), afforded Ruiz the chance to work alongside a different generation of actors -- at close quarters.
"My camper was right next to Mel (Gibson's) camper. So sometimes I would peek and hear him, how he prepped and that was very important to me as a young actor, you know, to hear how one of the greats works.
"And then I would go on set with him and it was just this presence that he has, and his incredible talent."
For Weaver, Wahlberg was one of the biggest revelations of the project.
"I thought he might be a bit of a ruffian, because he always played those tough roles," the Australian told AFP.
"But he's a wonderful person."
T.Bondarenko--BTB