Mark Wahlberg Was a ‘Big Fan’ of Halle Berry Before ‘The Union’ Collaboration

Mark Wahlberg wasn’t unfamiliar with Halle Berry when they began working together on The Union. In this upcoming Netflix romantic action thriller, the actors portray ex-lovers who reconnect under extreme circumstances. Their pre-existing friendship made the collaboration smooth.

“It was so easy,” Wahlberg tells ET’s Denny Directo during a training session with Berry. “I was a big fan for a long time and we’ve been friendly for a long time but we haven’t had a chance to work together.”

In the film, Wahlberg’s character, Mike McKenna, is a man content with his life in his hometown of New Jersey. After a night with his high school ex-girlfriend, Roxanne Hall (Berry), he believes they might reconcile. However, this possibility comes with CIA training and a mission that plunges Mike into the world of The Union to help save American spies.

“This is about a guy who’d do anything to impress the most important woman in his life,” Wahlberg explains. “He basically made it 25 years, still at home, still hanging around the same places waiting for her to walk through that door.”

When it comes to the idea of working with an ex, Wahlberg aligns with Berry’s strong “No.” Nevertheless, he feels fans can live out that dream through his character.

“They live vicariously through my character, so there’s always that. I think, for the character, he always felt like they had just taken a break,” he says about Mike and Roxanne. “It’s always gonna have another opportunity, at least he was hoping that would happen.”

He adds, “Even though you may have had a couple of other part-time relationships, there was only one person who hits hard. And that’s her character.”

Training for the film was intense. Wahlberg adhered to his daily 4 a.m. start time, which didn’t suit Berry’s schedule. As a result, she often trained separately. This led to an unexpected discovery for the actress.

“He goes hard,” Berry says about her co-star’s time in the gym. “He does go to bed early. Fun fact, I didn’t know that about Mark Wahlberg.”

The Union premieres on Netflix on August 16.

Source: ET Online