EXCLUSIVE
One of the most enduring friendships in Hollywood -- and one that led to the Oscars this year -- has dissolved in acrimony.
Hollywood heavyweight Mark Wahlberg has fallen out with his buddy director David O. Russell over the director’s decision to cast someone else in the lead of his new film, “The Silver Linings Playbook,” according to two individuals with knowledge of the relationship.
“They went with Brad Cooper because they felt he was hungrier and would work for cheaper,” Matt Muzio, Russell’s cousin and frequent collaborator, told TheWrap.
Muzio also fell out with the director recently, but said he was with Russell this summer on Martha’s Vineyard when the decision was made. Another individual close to Wahlberg confirmed the information.
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Wahlberg's deal provided that he was to be paid an additional $900,000 if Anne Hathaway fell out of the project, according to two individuals with knowledge of the deal. Hathaway did indeed drop out, making Cooper the less expensive option to Wahlberg.
Wahlberg was paid a fee anyway, though another executive said it was because of his creative contribution to the Weinstein Co. project.
The decision to cast Cooper surprised Muzio and others because Wahlberg has been one of Russell’s most loyal friends in Hollywood, bringing him in on his pet project, “The Fighter,” after years of Russell being sidelined.
Before that, Russell had favored Wahlberg for years, casting him in his cult hit “Three Kings” and again in “I Heart Huckabees” -- a movie that not only failed at the box office but solidified the director’s reputation in the industry as difficult after a video surfaced of him screaming at Lily Tomlin on set.
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“The Fighter” was Russell’s first movie since that debacle, a critical success and a box-office hit -- and a path back to productivity for the writer-director. Russell was nominated for Best Director, and producer Wahlberg was nominated for Best Picture. Christian Bale and Melissa Leo both won Oscars for their supporting performances.
“If it weren’t for ‘The Fighter,’ ‘Silver Linings’ wouldn’t exist,” Muzio said.
A spokesman for Wahlberg had no comment. An agent for Russell did not return repeat emails and calls; his PR rep could not reached.
A spokesman for Weinstein had no comment.
In “Silver Linings,” which started shooting last week, Cooper plays Pat Peoples, a teacher who after spending years in a mental institution, moves back in with his mother and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Wahlberg had been attached to the role for the better part of this year.
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