Q. You’re friends with the trainer Freddie Roach?  A. I spend a lot of time with Freddie, either at my place or at the Wild Card gym. I built a boxing ring up at the house. I’m always watching Manny. I’m watching Floyd. Even while Micky’s style was the thing I needed to zero in on, it’s good to be in and around boxing all the time.  Q. Do you think Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather will ever fight?  A. Oh, man. Obviously something’s wrong when you have the opportunity for the biggest payday of all time and you’re not fighting. Somebody’s scared.  A. Manny’s still out there fighting, saying he wants to fight and wants to do it. I don’t think his fight with Margarito helped things. I like them both so much. I love that Manny is such a sweet, humble guy. I love that Floyd talks trash and has never been beaten, or even really tested. I know both well. The sport needs that fight. Boxing really needs it. Too much M.M.A.  Q. You’ve done “The Basketball Diaries,” “Invincible,” now this. Why do sports movies resonate?  A. For me, sports are just inspiring. There’s nothing better than an against-all-odds story.  Q. Which was the hardest to prepare for?  A. Boxing was the most demanding. Those are real punches that I’m taking. It’s different going into the gym for an hour to look good, as opposed to looking like a guy who can win a real title.  Q. As “Entourage” producer, do you see more of a connection between Hollywood and sports?  A. Definitely. Every single athlete I run into wants to be on that show. They always plead their case. They always say they’ll have the best cameo ever.  A. I’d have to say my man Tom Brady’s was the best.  Q. Speaking of Brady, what are your thoughts on Jets-Patriots on Monday night?  A. The Patriots have to win that game. I mean, the Jets should have lost five games already. I mean, come on. The Jets shouldn’t be in the equation. Then again, crazy things are happening in the N.F.L. this year. Look at Randy Moss. Or Tampa Bay. Or Oakland. Not what you expected.  Q. What do you think about Brady’s hair?  Q. The Patriots’ offense looks a lot different, too.  A. Yeah, sure, I mean, I love Danny Woodhead and those guys. Getting Deion Branch back helped too. Brady’s going to spread it all over the field.  Q. As a Boston sports fan, what memories stand out from your childhood?  A. Well, there’s Bill Buckner. The Celtics and all those championships. Certainly, the run the Patriots had a few years back. Beating the Yankees was the best of them all, down, 0-3, and winning the World Series and having the curse lifted. Shoot, the Celtics should have won the title last year. They ran out of gas in Game 7.  Q. Is it strange as a Boston sports fan to experience this level of success?  A. Of course. The great thing about it is I don’t get as upset as I used to. It used to devastate me. I had to realize that you can’t go around smashing things like a little kid. You had to hope for the best. Winning helped that.  Q. What is your prediction for the Jets-Patriots game?  A. I like the Patriots. Of course.  A version of this article appears in print on December 5, 2010, on Page SP9 of the New York edition with the headline: In Sports, Wahlberg Finds Stories That Inspire. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
The former rapper grew up a boxing fan, and Micky Ward was one of his favorite fighters. Now Wahlberg will portray Ward in a new movie, “The Fighter.”