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How Mark Wahlberg’s Kids Are Following in His Footsteps

A many of many talents, Mark Wahlberg has left many paths for his four children to follow—and as he recently revealed, his and wife Rhea Durham’s four kids are right behind him.

By Hayley Santaflorentina Nov 20, 2023 6:19 PMTags

When it comes to their futures, Mark Wahlberg's children aren't heading into uncharted territory. 

In fact, his and wife Rhea Durham's four kids Ella, 20, Michael, 17, Brendan, 15, and Grace, 13 are proving the apple doesn't fall far from the tree—both athletically and creatively.

"My son's really into MMA, jiu jitsu, muay tai, right now," Mark, who practices marital arts himself, told E! News' Keltie Knight of Michael, adding of his youngest, "My daughter [Grace] obviously is an equestrian." As such, Grace's horse riding competitions are often a feature of her dad and no. 1 fan's social media. (Catch more from Mark on E! News Nov. 20 at 11 pm ET.)

But with a two-time Oscar nominee dad, it's unsurprising that at least one of the Wahlberg kids has expressed interest in acting. As the the 52-year-old—who recently invested to have an ownership stake in Flecha Tequila—noted of Brendan, "My youngest son says he's a better actor than me, and that he's gonna be bigger than I ever was. So I keep encouraging him to start now, but he's much more interested in playing video games."

In fact, Brendan's combined interest in acting and gaming almost earned him the opportunity to work alongside his dad in his newest film The Family Plan.

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"I could've gotten him a part in my next film that comes out," Mark revealed. "A 15-year-old who loves video games, but he had to go through the process and audition."

However, the teen wasn't exactly keen on joining his dad onscreen—just yet. As the Departed star added, "I had to know that he was serious and not gonna get the job and, like school, 'I don't wanna go today Dad.' So he didn't audition, so I didn't push it."

Instagram (Mark Wahlberg)

But as Mark has spent so much of his life in front of the camera, his kids are still contending with one thing: his heartthrob era.

And when it comes to his "sex symbol" era movies, the kids are not afraid to let their reactions be known. "Oh they are embarrassed," he explained. "They're devastated. Yeah, dad's an embarrassment when it comes to that stuff."

Despite growing up in the center of Hollywood, the family of six now call Las Vegas home—and its a gamble that seems to have more than paid off. 

"They love Vegas," the Transformers alum, who is hosting an upcoming event for VISTA Las Vegas in partnership with McLaren F1, told E! News earlier this year. "I spent lots of time in L.A. pursuing my interests and my career and now it's time for them to pursue theirs. Everybody is thriving there, it's been great."

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