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Mark Wahlberg attends
"The Gambler" premiere on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2014, in New York.
(Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
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Since it was revealed
Mark Wahlberg is seeking a pardon in Massachusetts for assaults he committed as
a teen, the actor is well aware that the court of public opinion has weighed in
on why he wants one and whether he deserves it, AP reports.
"Everyone has an
opinion and has a reason why they think I'm doing it," said the actor
Wednesday at the New York premiere of his new movie "The Gambler,"
opening Dec. 25.
"I've been working
very hard to correct a lot of mistakes that I made since the day that I woke up
and realized, 'You know what? I need to be a leader instead of a
follower,'" he said.
A document was filed Nov.
26 requesting the pardon. It states in 1988, when Wahlberg was 16, he hit a man
in the head with a wooden stick while trying to steal two cases of alcohol in
front of a convenience store near his family's home in the Dorchester section
of Boston. He punched another man in the face while trying to avoid police.
Wahlberg admits in the
application that he was high on marijuana and narcotics at the time.
He ended up being
convicted as an adult of assault and other charges, and he was sentenced to
three months in jail. He said he was released after serving about 45 days.
Wahlberg, 43, who went on
to be a rapper and then A-list actor who's been nominated for an Oscar, said he
isn't trying to use his public persona to sway the decision.
"In no way shape or
form was I trying to use my celebrity or success to say, 'Well, I feel entitled
to get this because of the fame and fortune.'"
Instead he said
"Every day I wake up trying to be the best person I can be."
He also tries to set an
example for kids growing up in tough neighborhoods like he did.
"I've worked really
hard to be a positive influence for kids growing up in communities like mine
who don't really have a chance, and try to provide an opportunity for them to
be more successful and that's why I'm doing it."
The actor said he's never
shied away from talking about his troubled past.
"And it's not like
the story hasn't been talked about. I've been talking about it for 25 years.
You read any piece that's ever been done on me it's really the same old kind of
story and for me to kind of be able to move on from that and move forward and
continue to show kids that anything's possible."
The Massachusetts Parole
Board would have to review Wahlberg's case and make a recommendation to the
governor, who can grant pardons.
Pardons rarely are issued
in Massachusetts. Gov. Deval Patrick has not approved one in his nearly two
terms in office. Nor did former Gov. Mitt Romney.
Wahlberg said his
commitment to being a good person and role model stands, no matter the outcome.
"I will continue to
do that whether the pardon is granted or not," he said.
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