This week, Mark Wahlberg officially became the latest celebrity to enter the adult beverage market by announcing a stake in Flecha Azul Tequila. Famous faces have been drawn to the spirits landscape for nearly a decade, with agave spirits being a particularly crowded subcategory. And you can thank George Clooney for that. In 2017, Wahlberg’s Perfect Storm co-star offloaded his Casamigos brand for an alleged $1 billion payout. Since then, everyone from Michael Jordan to the former stars of Breaking Bad have been optimistic about ghosts from south of the border.
But Wahlberg’s latest move is more about kindred spirits than dollar signs, he tells The Hollywood Reporter. It was created in collaboration with Flecha Azul co-owners Aron Marquez and (PGA pro golfer) Abraham Ancer.
Extra attachment from Blue Arrow.
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After meeting in 2019, they quickly found common values, including devotion to faith, family, hard work — and of course, good tequila. Investing your own money in the two-year-old brand was never something Wahlberg was asked to do. It was something he wanted to do.
Below, the Oscar-nominated Boston-born actor and producer addresses a range of topics ranging from Boston accents to Boston sports teams.
What got you into the tequila business?
I met [Marquez and Ancer] and realized we had so many things in common. We’re all family-oriented self-made guys and I just loved what they did [with Flecha Azul]. And I loved her story; everything they have done is similar to what I am trying to build myself, step by step.
Are you an equity partner, how exactly does the partnership work?
Yeah, I just wrote a big check and said, ‘Let me do my thing and promote you guys and your brand.’ That’s literally the scale.
And you’re all golfers, so did that help strengthen the bond?
Yes, we’re into golf, family and our faith and we’re self-made guys. So much in common that it was natural for us to enter into a partnership. We really connected on a personal level. These guys really are stars so it’s exciting for me to recognize their talent, skills and achievements and then put them on a platform and celebrate them and their success. I’ve been in the star making business for a while as a TV producer, showing off other people’s talents and bringing them to the fore so they can shine – that’s always been something I’ve always been very excited about.
I remember the first time we did Entourage and it was all about the boys… and they deserved it. And nobody deserves it more than [Marquez and Ancer], these guys are really, really successful because of the work they put into it.
Mark Wahlberg, center, flanked by Flecha Azul co-founders Abraham Ancer and Aron Marquez.
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There was actually an arc in Entourage where a main character invests in a brand of tequila and gets rich. Is that a bit of life imitating art?
I haven’t actually thought about it. Oddly enough. I was just hanging out with other people – George [Clooney] who is a friend, dwayne [Johnson], who is a friend – very successful. I’m really happy for them and what they have created. But here are people who are the real deal and they have created what I consider a superior product in their wheelhouse. So I figured if these other guys had that kind of success, imagine the success Aron and Abe could have — and deserve. It’s much more her thing than mine.
Were you a big tequila drinker before? What did you drink in your Boston days?
Well, my father was a Schiltz [beer] Drinker. So let’s face it: on a hot summer’s day in Boston, I could sit on my dad’s lap and get a big gulp, and he was fine with it [laughs]. But when I was old enough, I really was a wine guy. As I drank wine, I realized it was so much harder to burn off all the calories — as a fitness guy. Someone said, “If you drink tequila instead of wine, you don’t have to train as hard.” It’s not that many calories and it’s not that much fluid intake. That’s when I started drinking tequila. It’s funny because that’s when I started trying what was out there and I tried Flecha [Azul] and you could tell the difference between really good tequila and stuff curated by someone else who might not have the same experience.
And do you think tequila fits more naturally into an active lifestyle?
Absolutely. You have to find that balance. I don’t think anyone should necessarily live a bootcamp existence. You should be able to eat right, exercise, and go about your days relaxing, eating whatever you want, having a few cocktails, and then getting back to the gym. I always say, ‘It’s easier to stay in shape than get in shape.’ You come to the place where you find balance.
I had a “gin incident” when I was younger, after once overindulging in the spirit and not even being able to smell it for years. Has there ever been any type of alcohol that produced a similar reaction?
I didn’t have a gin incident, I had an Irish cream attack [laughs]. I would only see a billboard in the station [Bailey’s] and get sick.
So you’re from Dorchester [Massachusetts] originally, but you’ve done a good job of shedding the accent over the years.
If I [first] came to LA, people looked at me like I was from another planet. The accent was like nails on a chalkboard. So I worked so hard to get rid of it. Even though some of the best roles I’ve played, The Fighter, The Departed, Ted, A Perfect Storm – I [originally] swore I would never play a character from Boston. And it was too hard to accept.
Who speaks the accent best?
Let’s just say myself, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris Evans…
Yes, but they’re all from Boston, so that’s a competitive advantage.
I can’t leave it to anyone. Actually I’ll leave it to Clooney because he was smart enough not to try the accent during The Perfect Storm. I remember when we were doing The Departed all the non-Boston people thought why do Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon sound so different? They thought we had the bad Boston accents and everyone else sounded authentic!
Do you have a good feeling for the New England Patriots preparing for the playoffs?
Absolutely not. It was my fault for thinking that with a newcomer they would march right back to greatness. It will take a while. But they have a better away record than a home record, so they might do some damage. You never know.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Blue Arrow Tequila range.
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