Universal Pictures
Mark Wahlberg became one of the biggest stars in Hollywood in the late 90s thanks to a string of performances in films such as The Basketball Diaries, Boogie Nights, Three Kings, and Fear. In fact, it was Wahlberg himself who improvised the most iconic moment from Fear despite just getting started as an actor.
During a recent interview with BroBible’s Post Credit Podcast to promote the release of his new buddy comedy Balls Up alongside Paul Walter Hauser, which is now streaming on Prime Video, Mark Wahlberg recalled improvising the iconic “LET ME IN THE F——” moment in Fear and how producers had to fight for that scene to be included in the final cut.
Mark Wahlberg says he improvised the most iconic moment in Fear, when his character screams “LET ME IN THE F——- HOUSE!”
Paul Walter Hause: Forgive me for interjecting with this, but didn’t you — is it true that you improvised the line where you say “open the effing door” to Reese Witherspoon when you’re at the house in Fear?
Mark Wahlberg: Yeah. It was just kind of an outtake. Jamie Foley actually put that in the sizzle reel and everybody loved that moment. I had that kind of speech at the door going through the peephole. But when he cut the movie, it wasn’t in there. And Brian Grazer goes, “Hey, where’s the moment?” He’s like, “What moment?” “The moment when he screams at the door through the peephole.” He goes, “Oh, that — he was just joking around. It was basically an outtake that I put in the sizzle.” Grazer said, “Well, you better put it back in the movie.”
Paul: One of the coolest parts. And the beating the chest thing creeped me out — I remember that one vividly. Don’t you beat your chest till it’s bruised?
Mark: Yeah, dude.
Our interview below has been queued up to begin when Wahlberg discusses that famed fear moment.
Balls Up — which also stars Molly Shannon, Benjamin Bratt, Daniela Melchior, Eric André, and Sacha Baron Cohen alongside Mark Wahlberg — is now streaming on Prime Video.