Director Simon Cellan Jones (left) poses with 'The Family Plan' actors Michelle Monaghan (centre) and Mark Wahlberg in New York. Photo: AP
Parents are not considered “cool people” ... unless, maybe when they are big Hollywood stars like Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Monaghan.
Apparently that’s not the case either, as both these actors tell StarLifestyle during a virtual interview with a group of journalists.
“I am cool if I could get them (his children) to meet somebody famous that they want to meet. Or, if I could get some tickets to a sporting event or something. Then dad’s pretty cool.
“But then, after that, I’m pretty useless,” says Wahlberg, logging in from New York, the United States.
His co-star Monaghan agrees: “I think they respect what I do. But I don’t think they’re all that impressed by it. I don’t know. Maybe they’re just really good actors, and they just play really cool. I’m just their mum at the end of the day.
“You know, just before I came here (for the interview) I got a text from (daughter) Willow. She’s like, ‘I’m going to the mall today. I really need more denim shorts’. And I was like, ‘Can we have this conversation later?’. And she’s like, ‘But I really need these shorts.’
“I think I’m just like a cash machine to her.”
Wahlberg has four children between the ages of 13 and 20, while Monaghan has a teenage daughter and a nine-year-old son.
American actor Mark Wahlberg with his wife Rhea Durham (third from left), son Michael and Michael’s partner Sunni Gaines. Photo: AFP
The two stars are talking to press for the new movie called The Family Plan, where they play a pair of typical working parents to three children.
The movie centres on Dan Morgan (Wahlberg), a devoted husband and father, who works as a car salesman.
Unknown to his wife, Jessica (Monaghan), angsty teen daughter (Zoe Colletti), gamer son (Van Crosby) and baby Max (Iliana and Vienna Norris), “the mild-mannered homebody” Dan was once an elite government assassin trained with all kinds of skills.
However, years after being just plain old Dan, his cover gets blown one day.
Now, he has no choice but to leave his life in Buffalo, New York, behind. Worse, he has to tell his family the truth about who he really is.
He figures he can break the news better after escaping the baddies and taking the family on an impromptu road trip to Las Vegas.
Of course, the trip is anything but easy with the baddies in pursuit. To ensure the family is safe from harm, Dan improvises the best he could while all kinds of crazy things happen around the family.
One of the craziest fights Dan does is at a supermarket with his baby strapped to his chest.
This dad, on an outing to get diapers, is about to be attacked by the baddies. Photo: Handout
According to the 52-year-old Wahlberg – who’s done a number of action films like Three Kings, 2 Guns and The Other Guys – even he was a little taken aback by that physical scene.
“I embrace getting older and playing the dad ... I think the only thing I was not really prepared for was working with toddlers in action scenes where (director Simon Cellan Jones) really wanted to feel like the toddler was present and not feel like it was a doll.
“I remember, we’re doing that supermarket fight scene and the babies were not happy and I completely understood why. I thought there’s no way we’re going to get through this. We’re never going to make it happen,” shares Wahlberg.
In a separate interview, director Jones also recounts the supermarket fight scene as the most memorable one from the whole production.
“I always remember that because, of course, the baby is 18 months old and doesn’t quite understand that its job is to be a sort of stunt baby. It says ‘No, I’m just a baby’.
“So, it was really hard looking after the baby. Obviously, you got to be very careful not to hurt them. But you know you’re saying ‘Come on, just do the same without crying or you know, look as if you’re enjoying it’.
“So, I think that was the most nerve-wracking but also the most exciting thing. When I finally saw the end version of the scene, I was like ‘Oh, phew’.”
As for why it was necessary to do the fight sequence for real instead of just using CGI, the director says: “Yes, CGI is getting more and more sophisticated. And everyone’s talking about AI now. And you know, maybe the world is going to change.
“But, even if the CGI is utterly brilliant, audiences today are really smart. So, the message I have to myself is, ‘Don’t lie to the audience because they’ll know’.
“I think the more truthful you can keep it, the better the movie will be.”
The actors had a lot of fun on set. Photo: Handout
A truth that is evident in the film is the chemistry between Wahlberg and Monaghan.
Having previously collaborated on the 2016 film Patriot’s Day, their rapport is present in The Family Plan, as well as during this interview.
It becomes evident when Monaghan is prompted to rank actors who portrayed her on-screen husband.
Laughing, the Mission: Impossible – Fallout actress says: “I wouldn’t want to be scored, so I won’t do that to my co-stars either.”
Instead, she answers: “I’ve made two movies with this gentleman, I can easily say I’d love to make a third.”
Wahlberg playfully chimes in, saying: “I’ve got to get the whole list of Michelle’s credit to see if there’s some other guys that are schlubs that maybe I’m a little bit ahead of ...
“Hopefully I land somewhere in the middle.”
It’s clear Monaghan is one of Wahlberg’s favourite people to work with in films.
For The Family Plan, he credits her for creating an enjoyable atmosphere on set, and transforming the filming experience into a truly fun environment.
“When Michelle showed up, she brightened everything and set the tone for what the working environment was going to be like. It was fun, collaborative and enjoyable,” says Wahlberg.
For Monaghan, 47, The Family Plan set was also great since the director allowed the actors to do improv.
“That opened up the door for us to get to really know each other beyond kind of what was scripted. We were able to have a lot of fun like that,” says Monaghan.
Cellan Jones adds that the storytelling of the film was enhanced when he gave the two actors leeway to do what they do best.
“They’re both very, very good at improvisation. They’re both very smart, and they like to sort of work in a fresh way. They got on great with each other, they respect each other,” the director says.
“I’d love to say that I created that chemistry, but honestly, they brought that with them and they were fantastic to work with. I think the biggest thing that I took home from this film is that all of us had such a great time making it.”
The Family Plan is available on Apple TV+.
