Mark Wahlberg denied Post Malone's death wish with 'Spenser Confidential,' but did beat him up

Mark Wahlberg plays the action (and his many pummelings) for laughs in his new Netflix film "Spenser Confidential," streaming Friday.

After teaming up for heavy, real-life dramas based on tragic events ("Patriots Day," "Deepwater Horizon" and "Lone Survivor") and the action movie "Mile 22," Wahlberg and director Peter Berg have lightened up for their fifth collaboration..

"We decided to do something different," says Wahlberg. "We wanted to try and do something funny."

Wahlberg steps into the private eye character Spenser created by author Robert B. Parker and played by Robert Urich in ABC's TV series "Spenser: For Hire" from 1985 to 1988. This requires showing he can still take the blows that come with the gig, including from rapper Post Malone, who makes his acting debut and gets a few licks in during a prison brawl.

Wahlberg, 48, talked to USA TODAY about some of his greatest hits and one painful kick:

Question: Who knew you and Post Malone were friends? How did he get the part?

Mark Wahlberg: We were hanging out at my house and he was like, "You know, I'd really love to be in a movie." And then he was like, "I want to die in a movie." He just wanted to get killed in a movie. I said, "I got this other idea, but you wouldn't die. But you guys could beat me up. And then ultimately, I'll beat the (expletive) out of you." Peter had never met him, had never seen him act. I didn't know if it was going to be good. But I kept telling Pete, 'It's going to be good.'

Q: He has prison-worthy face tattoos, but how was Post Malone as an actor?

Wahlberg: The day came where he was supposed to shoot his scene, but they didn't even know if he was in town. So everybody's panicking because musicians move to the beat of their own drum. They don't adhere to schedules. But he was in his trailer, pounding Bud Lights. We were heading over to the real jail to shoot and Post is trying to bring his 12-pack inside. I was like, "You can't bring a 12-pack of Bud Light into the jail, bro. It's not going to happen." I said, "I could probably get one beer for you in a Dunkin' Donuts cup."

He was also a little nervous. It was his first time. But after the first take, Peter was happy and Post had a great time. The sky is the limit for his acting career.

Q: And this ends with you getting punched by Post Malone?

Wahlberg: And Cowboy Cerrone, the winningest fighter in the history of the UFC. He doesn’t know how to pull a kick, either. I got kicked in the ribs.

Q: One of the greatest hits you ever took on camera was a crushing blow that made it into the 2006 football film "Invincible." Do you remember that?

Wahlberg: Yeah, of course. That was a very memorable hit. I remember specifically because it's called an ear hole, when a guy hits you so hard, your ear touches your shoulder on the other side. You're really getting racked. And it's a slow-mo shot of me running down the sideline on a kickoff. The guy was a former NFL Broncos player and he just was coming as fast as he could from the opposite direction. I didn't know what was coming and I got hit. It's funny because, on that football movie with all the hits, I had a bad neck, bad shoulders, bad back, bad knees, bad hips. Everything was hurting me. So as soon as that hit came, it's like, he's done for the day. They said, take an ice bath and go home. But the hit kind of realigned me and actually fixed everything. It lit me up and loosened me up. I took a five-minute ice bath, jumped on my scooter and played golf.

Q: How was it brawling Joaquin Phoenix in 2000's "The Yards"? It's intense.

Wahlberg: It became one of the better fights that I have a been a part of. He didn't know what I was going to do. I didn’t know what he was going to do. I think he wished he knew what I was going to do after the first night of shooting because it got pretty aggressive. He's a gamer, he's a method guy. Between him and Ben Foster, they’ll beat their heads off the side of a tree to get into character.

Q. It's been 25 years since you brawled alongside and played basketball with young Leonardo DiCaprio in "The Basketball Diaries." How was his basketball game?

Wahlberg: He was playing Jim Carroll, no easy feat since the guy would go on to play Division I basketball. But it was more important to have a great actor than a great basketball player.

Q: How's your game these days?

Wahlberg: I don't play anymore. I don't want to roll an ankle. I was playing my kids the other day and started firing off NBA threes and tweaked my elbow. I was like, "Damn." My kids were like, "Dad, you're so old. You can’t even take a shot." They were dying laughing.

Q: Cue the "We can rebuild him" question. What's up with your bionic "Six Billion Dollar Man" movie now that director Travis Knight is onboard?

Wahlberg: I’m hoping to get the script any day now. We've got a great idea and a great take on it. Hopefully, we'll be making it soon because I'm not getting any younger. I just feel there is a ticking clock. Like "The Fighter," I knew that I had a certain window to be able to make that movie in my own head, being able to pull off the physicality, Did you watch "The Irishman"? They were able to do the technology with the face. But when (Robert De Niro) is kicking the guy, it looked a little older. I want it to be more believable.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Spenser Confidential': Mark Wahlberg denied Post Malone's death wish