Mark Wahlberg on How He Really Feels About Jeremy Allen White’s Calvin Klein Ads

In the late ’80s and early ’90s, Mark Wahlberg was known to many people as the younger brother of New Kids on the Block member Donnie Wahlberg. But in 1992, Marky Mark became a breakout star on his own thanks to a series of Calvin Klein ads that cemented his status as a teen heartthrob. Now, with a new generation of CK models like Jeremy Allen White, Wahlberg is weighing in on the men who have come after him. 

When speaking to People about White’s Calvin Klein campaign, Wahlberg said White is “absolutely” a great guy for the job. “There’s been many, many worthy successors,” Wahlberg said of the Emmy-winning actor. 

He went on to praise The Bear star’s work on screen, and even teased that he hopes to work with him sometime soon. “I think that guy’s really talented,” he gushed. “So we’re sending him a script—a cool story that we think he’d be great for.”

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Over the years, many other Hollywood stars like Jamie Dornan, Kellan Lutz, and Justin Bieber have stripped down to their undies to pose for Calvin Klein. Back in 2015, Wahlberg similarly gave his blessing to Bieber’s viral campaign, noting in an interview with Conan O’Brien that the Canadian singer reached out to him personally before the ads went live. 

“He is a very nice young man. He is a friend of mine. I’ve spent time with him,” he said. “He did send me the pictures. I was like, ‘You don’t send a guy pictures like this.'” 

“He was proud. It was a big deal for him to do it,” Wahlberg added, admitting he doesn’t identify that much with his famous CK photos anymore. “I’m at 45, a dad, a husband and a father of four, I’m trying to move away from that image.”

Even though Jeremy Allen White has excited many people as a Calvin Klein model, his Bear co-stars weren’t all that impressed with his work.