Wahlberg gives angry speech at 'Lone Survivor' screening (Plus: Early reviews)

Former Special Operator 1st Class (SEAL) Marcus Luttrell, left, and Mark Wahlberg pose at the the premiere for “Lone Survivor” on Tuesday in Hollywood, Calif. (Getty Images photo by Valerie Macon)

A movie based on the ambush of a Navy SEAL team in Afghanistan has generated Academy Award buzz for its lead actor, Mark Wahlberg.

After the premiere of “Lone Survivor” on Tuesday night in Hollywood, Wahlberg generated some buzz of his own.

Asked about preparing for the role of Marcus Luttrell, whose book recounting the 2005 mission served as the basis of the film, Wahlberg offered a profanity-filled tirade aimed at actors who compare their jobs to those of service members.

Various entertainment-media outlets reported the speech. Here’s a cleaned-up version of the remarks, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter:

• “For actors to sit there and talk about, ‘Oh I went to SEAL training,’ I don’t give a f— what you did.”
• “I don’t give a s— if you’re getting your ass busted. You get to go home at the end of the day, you get to go to your hotel room, you get to order f—ing chicken.”
• “I’ve done other movies where I trained for 4 1/2 years, I did ‘The Fighter’ —  f— all that. … I’m a very lucky guy to do what I do, and I’m proud to be a part of this, but it’s just so much bigger than what I do.”

No actors were mentioned by name, but Wahlberg’s response to an innocent “how was your experience making the film”-type question posed by the film festival’s director came shortly after TMZ reported Tom Cruise had compared his life as an actor to that of fighting a war in Afghanistan. That report was later contested by Cruise’s lawyer and all but retracted by a follow-up TMZ piece.

For those less interested in the gossip and more interested in the movie, there’s good news: Early reviews have been glowing. A brief sampling with a warning — links will contain spoilers for those who don’t know the story:

• The Wrap compares its battle sequences favorably with “Saving Private Ryan” and fawns over a cast that includes Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch and Ben Foster.
• Variety says Peter Berg’s telling improves upon Luttrell’s book and praises his “blunt, pummeling style.”
• The Hollywood Reporter says “the film is rugged, skilled, relentless, determined, narrow-minded and focused, everything that a soldier must be when his life is on the line” — wrong service, but the sentiment is there.

Will the reviews make you more likely to see “Lone Survivor”? What about Wahlberg’s statements? Let us know in the comments below, and click here to see the trailer.