Mark Wahlberg savours Penang’s charm as Malaysians floored by star’s humility
Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg has been spotted filming in Penang, Malaysia, drawing attention for his casual interactions with locals and street food culture. The visit highlights Malaysia's growing success in attracting international film productions through financial incentives.
Why it matters
The event underscores the effectiveness of regional film production incentives and the cultural impact of global stars engaging with local communities.
Mark Wahlberg shed the aura of a Hollywood star when he savoured street food and mingled with locals in Penang while filming Netflix’s The Big Fix. His trip delighted Malaysians and highlighted the country’s growing appeal to global productions.
Videos of Wahlberg, who played a former Boston police detective in Spenser Confidential, filming around the Malaysian state went viral on social media over the weekend.
Some clips showed the 55-year-old walking through a market, waving to onlookers and visiting a mamak outlet, one of the country’s ubiquitous Indian Muslim food stalls.
Fans were also impressed with the actor’s down-to-earth presence.
“He is sitting at the mamak stall that casually? Malaysians can claim him already,” a social media user said.
Others struggled to believe that an A-list actor had turned up so casually in George Town, Penang’s capital.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in