Can the LGBTQ community ever get over Mark Wahlberg (past?) homophobia to enjoy his latest perfomance?

 

Roadside Attractions are very excited about their latest new movie JOE BELL, which is released in movie theatres on July 23rd.  Written by Diana Ossana & Larry McMurtry (Brokeback Mountain) and directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (Monsters and Men) it’s based on an intimate and emotional true story.   An Oregonian father decides to pay tribute to his gay teenage son Jadin (Reid Miller), by embarking on a self-reflective walk across America to speak his heart to heartland citizens about the real and terrifying costs of bullying.
 
So far so good, but starring as the father is Academy Award nominee Mark Wahlberg whose past racist, bigoted and homophobic views have raised concern about the suitability of his casting.

Before he was ‘discovered’ by Calvin Klein’s underwear people, Wahlberg was arrested and charged with attempted murder for attacking Vietnamese American Thanh Lam.  Then he encountered Hoah Trinh, also a Vietnamese American, after waiting for a police cruiser to pass, punched Trinh in the eye, permanently blinding him.

CAAV and GLAAD who strongly objected to Wahlberg being celebrated as a poster boy at the time eventually entered into an arrangement with the actor to make an-anti violent PSA.  However, a   decision was made to cancel the PSA  was made after Wahlberg assaulted a record company executive in Los Angeles.  The police report filed by the  bashing victim in Los Angeles stated that the altercation began when Wahlberg “started making disparaging remarks about  homosexuals.”  Warner Bros. has confirmed that Wahlberg was in a  violent altercation with Maverick Records executive Guy Oseary at a party on July 31.

From the teaser trailer released it appears that Wahlberg is giving a very impressive and convincing  performance, but will this be enough for all of the LGBTQ community to forgive and forget?

 


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One response to “Can the LGBTQ community ever get over Mark Wahlberg (past?) homophobia to enjoy his latest perfomance?”

  1. Adrian Avatar
    Adrian

    I can’t understand why he had to be in the film. It’s insulting. I will never watch that film. He is such a danger for homosexuals and people of other ethnicities