Mark Wahlberg Weight Loss - 'Ted 2' Hunk Drops 60 LBS For 'The Gambler' Role, Admits Being "Believable As A Teacher" Was Harder Than Shedding Pounds

Mark Wahlberg is widely known for his buff physic in a number of his movies, but right after filming Transformers 4: Age of Extinction, the Hollywood hunk dropped around 60 LBS to portray a professor in The Gambler. This new film is a remake of the 1974 movie of the same name, written by James Toback. In a recent interview, Wahlberg admits that the weight loss wasn't the hardest part about this project; he says that convincing audiences that he could portray an teacher was much more important to him.

"Forget losing the weight," he said in a recent interview with USA Today. "Being believable as a teacher was one of my greatest challenges and most rewarding. It meant being able to have the comfort to really understand and say those words."

The actor has portrayed a teacher at least once before, in M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening, but in the Gambler he's a college-level professor of literature. According to the interview, he immersed himself in the works mentioned in the script and attended college lectures to properly prepare.

To see some photos of the gaunt Wahlberg, click HERE!

"Comments we've been getting from the test screenings include, 'I never thought I would see Mark Wahlberg as a professor, but I believed it and went along for the ride.' Hearing that hit on one of my big reasons for doing this part. It's different and unexpected," he exclaimed.

Clearly the weight loss was just another part of the acting job, but Wahlberg took it to the next level to really sell his character to audiences.

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(via Film Drunk)