While preparing for his role in Pride and Glory (in 2002), Mark Wahlberg bulked up by waking every morning at 2 a.m. to wolf down several burgers and returning to bed. Needless to say, Wahlberg was rather peeved when he discovered that the project had been cancelled -- and that he would have to lose about 70 pounds for his next role, as Charlie Croker, in F. Gary Gray's The Italian Job!

["Ever since De Niro put on 60 pounds for 'Raging Bull,' it kind of set the course for us," Brad Pitt remarked after bulking up for his role in Troy. "He screwed us all, really."]

[During the filming of Boogie Nights, Wahlberg was dabbling in amateur directing. Among his productions: Damn Van Damme (about a plot to kill Jean-Claude Van Damme); 16A (about a suicide at the Beverly Hills Hotel); and the self-explanatory Gotta Get Off Donkey Kong.]