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Wahlberg, who played Sergeant Dignam, who worked in the Massachusetts State Police Division’s Special Investigation Unit, in the Boston-set film, revealed that he was “concerned about a few things” while working on the star-studded project.

“I was a little upset about some things, but hey, it all worked out in the end, I guess,” Wahlberg said on the March 14 episode of Josh Horowitz. Happy Unhappy Confused podcast.

“Initially they speculated that I would play another part. Initially, it was speculated that he would receive a commission,” he continued, without giving further details. “And even when we agreed that I could play Dignam and I saw the advantages of playing that part and how I could approach the situation with everyone else playing alongside me, I had another film later.”

Wahlberg was working back-to-back at the time, having just completed filming 4 brothers and getting ready as much as shoot Invincible.

“I was trying to grow my hair out, and that’s why I had that weird hair. You know, all people like, what was that wig about? I was like, it wasn’t a wig, I was just trying to grow my hair for the next movie,” she explained.

His hair and photo schedule ended up being points of rivalry between Wahlberg and Scorsese, which in addition to balancing the Ted star’s busy schedule, was juggling a myriad of personalities on the star-studded set, which included Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Martin Sheen, Alex Baldwin and Vera Farmiga, among others.

But now, Wahlberg says, he understands the Oscar-winning director’s point of view.

“I completely understand where Marty was coming from. He wanted to take care of Jack, he wanted to take care of Matt and Leo and Alec and everything in the studio and everyone else that was in the cast and so there was speculation that I would be out and about within five weeks,” Wahlberg stated. “And then I went to film Invincible, I bought my hair extensions, I went back and then they were like, oh, you have to take the extensions out. I was like, (it) took eight hours. I won’t take it away. We had some points.”

Ultimately, Wahlberg realized he could “have fun” with the role and even talked to Scorsese about improv.

“Ultimately, I think when I learned this exact role, I thought, OK, this is a good role,” said the Boston-born actor. “This is an opportunity for me to really go out and have some fun. Initially, I was just thinking, ‘OK, we need to make this as realistic and credible as possible. It’s Boston, it’s gangster shit. You don’t see a lot of that in these movies. And I was thinking about the bigger picture, not necessarily about my own personal goals or even the opportunity for myself as an actor. And after reading the part again, I thought, ‘OK, there’s something here.

The film, with all its ups and downs, ended up earning Wahlberg his first and only Oscar nomination to date – he ultimately lost to Little Miss Sunshine‘s Alan Arkin, although the film won four Oscars, including best picture and best director.

When asked if these types of accolades are important or if they’re something he’s pursuing, Wahlberg said it’s nice when it happens, but it’s not something he pursues.

“Look, you want the film to be recognized, you want to be recognized – that helps the ultimate success of the film,” he said. “I think it improves the box office a lot, especially if you have a film coming out at that time, but it’s not as high on the priority list as it was, so to speak.”

When asked by Horowitz if he would like a “movie to make a billion dollars or win an Oscar,” Wahlberg’s response was defiant.

“If I have a pleasant ending, I can (have the money),” Wahlberg said. “But that being said, look, I mean, you know, I’m an aggressive man. I work very hard and try to make the best film possible. I always want to be the best. I approach it both as an athlete, as a fighter, all of those things. So I just want to win.