Over the course of ten days and 435 miles, an unbreakable bond is forged between pro adventure racer Michael Light (Mark Wahlberg) and a scrappy street dog companion dubbed Arthur in Lionsgate's Arthur the King.
Based on an incredible true story, the movie follows Light, desperate for one last chance to win, as he convinces a sponsor to back him and a team of athletes (Simu Liu, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Ali Suliman) for the Adventure Racing World Championship in the Dominican Republic. As the team is pushed to their outer limits of endurance in the race, Arthur redefines what victory, loyalty and friendship truly mean.
Directed by Simon Cellan Jones (The Family Plan) from a screenplay by Michael Brandt (Wanted), it's based on the book Arthur: The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home by Mikael Lindnord.
Last month, we got to spend a few minutes with Wahlberg to learn more about his role in Arthur the King.
While our conversation was brief, the actor opened up on whether the rivalry between his and Liu's characters bled into real life, what he enjoyed about bonding with his canine co-star, Ukai, and how his physical preparation differed for this role compared to the likes of Transformers and Uncharted.
Wahlberg had plenty of fascinating insights to share about his time on Arthur the King and we'll be bringing you our conversations with Jones and Lindnord and the main pooch himself, Ukai, nearer that March 22 release date.
For now, watch this interview with Wahlberg in the player below.
The back-and-forth between Michael and Leo was one of my favourite parts of the movie; given the training and physicality required for a project like this, did that rivalry bleed into real life with you and Simu similarly pushing each other to reach that next level?
No, you know what, I was just really a big supporter and cheerleader for Simu. I knew the exciting things he had in the pipeline and how drastically his life and career were going to change in a very short amount of time. I loved that he really still had a desire to come in and not be afraid to literally get in the weeds and mud to make something special. I know it was very different from some of the other things he’d done. When you’re telling a true story, there’s more pressure and more responsibility to get it right. We were definitely more of a team and a unit which was great. Obviously, you know, the dynamic between the two, we played with that quite a bit. Especially the scene where I visit him at his photoshoot. Look, I’m an older guy, I really like to see people coming up and creating their own lane, and changing the game. To know all the exciting things he had on, I was a big supporter and cheerleader.
How much work behind the scenes did you do with Ukai to create the bond we see on screen and what does it mean to you to be able to tell a story like this which also shines a light on a great cause like the Arthur Foundation?
We were neighbours, so we spent quite a bit of time bonding. Every time he would go out in the morning to go to the bathroom, I’d give him a little whistle and he’d come running because he knew I’d have steaks and lots of other treats waiting for him. He could just run right into my house and we’d hang out. It was really nice. What Arthur meant to so many people, what he was able to do, and what Mikael did for Arthur, really inspired so many people. Obviously, it’s an amazing cause and, you know, a guy who was very selfish to do something so selfless and sacrifice the thing that meant the most to him to refocus on what would be his legacy and the thing that meant the most to him and his family. He gave Arthur the opportunity to have a family and have a really wonderful, comfortable last couple of years of life. That was incredibly special.
You’ve starred in a lot of huge action movies, whether it’s Transformers or Uncharted, but how did the mental and physical preparation for this role differ from those?
Yeah, with some of those, you kind of just work out and you’re ready for the explosions and the fight scenes and all that stuff. To look like an endurance racer and to prepare for that training…I’ve never really done kayaking and cycling and stuff like that. You want to look the part. Of course, having the responsibility of getting it right…these are some of the toughest athletes I’ve ever seen. I really wanted to make sure we did Mikael and his team, and Adventure Racers all over the world, justice.
Arthur the King arrives in theaters on March 22, 2024.