featuring @markwahlberg @yahya
The upcoming Paramount true-story thriller features Mark Wahlberg and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in leading roles, portraying an unlikely partnership. Early audience reactions have been overwhelmingly positive, with test screenings described by Wahlberg as chaotic — fans were “screaming and yelling,” he says, calling the experience “crazy.” He also predicts the film will stand out as “one of the great revenge thrillers in quite a long time.”
Entertainment Weekly has unveiled exclusive first-look images from By Any Means, directed by Elegance Bratton. In these photos, Wahlberg is seen transformed into the real-life mafia hitman Gregory Scarpa, sporting tinted aviator glasses and a side-parted hairstyle. The resemblance is so remarkable that Scarpa’s son, Gregory Scarpa Jr., reportedly mistook Wahlberg for his father during the initial makeup tests. Director Bratton recalls Scarpa Jr. saying to Wahlberg, “‘Hey, dad,’” upon seeing him in character.
Set in 1960s Mississippi, By Any Means follows Scarpa and FBI agent Wayne Strider, played by Abdul-Mateen II, as they join forces to investigate the murders of civil rights leaders and confront Ku Klux Klan members. The story is rooted in true events, including the KKK’s violent attack on civil rights activist Vernon Dahmer — played by Giancarlo Esposito — whose home was set ablaze in 1966 while his family was inside.
Both Scarpa Jr. and his sister Linda Scarpa served as advisors during the making of the film. Wahlberg notes that working with them helped him understand the humanity behind his character’s violent exterior. “He lived in this underworld, and he had to play by those rules, but he was still a father and a husband,” Wahlberg explains.
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