Splice Baby
Marky Mark did not require the funky bunch to walk the red carpet for the premiere of his new film The Other Guys - he just needed his close friend Will Ferrell. Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell faced a horde of screaming fans at Event Cinemas, Robina, on Wednesday for the Australian premiere of their new action comedy. Sporting matching Australian accents, the pair seemed relaxed chatting with fans and joking with each other. When asked where he learnt to do an Aussie accent, Wahlberg said in our national slang `I watched Chopper, my mate Chopper Reid.’
After arriving on the Gold Coast from Sydney earlier in the day and settling into the penthouse at Jupiters Hotel and Casino, where the Australian International Movie Convention is being held, the two slipped away to Lakelands where they played a game of golf before attending the premiere.It is Wahlberg’s first visit to Australia and he said so far he is `loving it’.
“But I got to tell you, from the flight over on Qantas, the A380 Airbus is the greatest thing ever invented, and every second since I’ve been here has been amazing,” he said.
“The people are so hospitable, so polite, I don’t know if it’s sincere or not, but I love it and I’m so sorry it has taken me so long to get here.
“Now I know where the party’s at.”
Ferrell too is a big fan of Australia and even managed to slip a Little River Band joke into the film.
“Little River Band is the greatest band ever,” he said.
“They were a favourite of mine growing up in the mean streets of Southern California.
“We actually love the Little River Band in the states, they are ten times as big there as they are here.”
In The Other Guys Wahlberg and Ferrell play a pair of mismatched police detectives who are constantly being overshadowed by the city’s top cops, played by Samuel L Jackson and Dwayne `The Rock’ Johnson. Eva Mendes also stars in the film as Ferrell’s wife and the funny man had nothing but good things to say about his co-star’s natural assets.
“I can tell you they are real, they are extra perky and they were not waiting for me at home,” he said.
Wahlberg and Ferrell did the genuine nice guy thing and spoke with fans and signed memorabilia, before heading in to introduce the film. The pair have undeniable chemistry and were happy to continue their jokey banter off screen too.
“I loved you in Step Brothers,” Wahlberg told Ferrell.
“I loved you in The Italian Job,” said Ferrell.
Wahlberg responded by saying `that was Matt Damon’ and Ferrell replied ‘oh, this is awkward.’ The movie debuted at number one on the US box office last fortnight, knocking off Inception, and made $US 35.6m in its opening weekend. And for the record, it was a dream come true to meet Mark in real life as I have a well-known obsession with him. Will too, was lovely. Before the red carpet event that night I interviewed the pair of them at the convention and I shit you not, Mark was pushing Will around in an old man’s walker. It was hilarious.