Mark Wahlberg Calls ‘The Happening’ His Biggest Career Mistake – “Fucking Trees, Man”

Mark Wahlberg’s journey from ‘Marky Mark’ to respected Hollywood heavyweight has been marked by numerous triumphs, from his breakout role in Boogie Nights to award-winning turns in The Fighter and The Departed. But even the most accomplished actors have projects they’d rather forget—and for Wahlberg, one misstep stands above the rest.

In a refreshingly candid moment during a press conference for The Fighter, Wahlberg openly admitted that 2008’s The Happening, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, was the low point of his filmography. At first hesitant to call the film out directly, Wahlberg eventually shrugged off any concerns about diplomacy. “Alright, The Happening. Fuck it. It is what it is. Fucking trees, man. The plants. Fuck it,” he said, drawing laughter and a nod of understanding from those familiar with the film’s infamous reputation.

The Happening centers on a bizarre phenomenon where people on the East Coast of the United States begin committing mass suicide, eventually revealed to be caused by toxins released by plants. Intended as a chilling sci-fi thriller, the film instead became widely mocked for its stilted dialogue, puzzling tone, and unconvincing performances—including Wahlberg’s portrayal of an earnest science teacher, a role many critics argued was a miscast from the start.

“You can’t blame me for not wanting to try to play a science teacher,” Wahlberg quipped. “At least I wasn’t playing a cop or a crook.”

Though Wahlberg’s frustration is palpable, much of the criticism at the time suggested that the movie’s failings had less to do with the actors and more with the film’s narrative structure and script. Even in the heightened realm of science fiction, audiences struggled to suspend their disbelief for a plot where plants became humanity’s unseen assassins. The result was a film that, rather than thrilling, often veered into unintentional comedy.

For Shyamalan, The Happening marked a low point after the earlier success of The Sixth Sense and Signs, with the director himself later acknowledging the film’s tonal issues. For Wahlberg, it remains a professional blemish he can at least laugh about now.

In a career that has seen him successfully navigate everything from intense dramas to action-packed blockbusters and even comedies, Wahlberg’s willingness to own up to his misfires only makes his eventual successes all the more admirable. After all, even for Hollywood’s biggest names, sometimes you have to weather a few bad movies—and a few murderous plants—on the road to greatness.