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After a career of action films, gross-out comedies and gritty indies, both Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne have recently begun to embrace the family-film genre, Wahlberg in Daddy’s HomeDaddy’s Home 2, Byrne in Peter Rabbit. Which is not to say the actors have gone soft—Wahlberg still always maintains his go-to street-smart "cool," while Byrne effortlessly taps into the emotional vulnerability of every beat. The duo makes for a good team, playing off each other’s strengths— Wahlberg’s rat-a-tat charm up against Byrne’s wide-eyed ‘oh, really?’ looks— so much so, it’s surprising the actors have never shared the screen before.

In Byrne and Wahlberg’s latest, Instant Family, a heartwarming family dramedy, the actors star as Pete and Ellie Wagner, a married couple contemplating adoption. When they take in not one but three children, Ellie & Pete’s lives are totally uprooted, and the couple is thrust into the deep-end of parenting wild and unruly children.

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In the following interview with Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne, they discuss how terrifying children truly are, how they keep their own children in line, and what appeals to them about the family-film genre. For the full interview, watch above.

Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne:

  • Do Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne find children to be as terrorizing as they are in Instant Family?
  • How do they keep their own children in line?
  • As parents, was there anything their Instant Family characters did that they would never do?
  • What is it about the family-film genre that appeals to them?
  • What’s it like when Wahlberg’s own family sees him on screen as a father?

Here is the official synopsis for Instant Family:

When Pete (Mark Wahlberg) and Ellie (Rose Byrne) decide to start a family, they stumble into the world of foster care adoption. They hope to take in one small child but when they meet three siblings, including a rebellious 15-year-old girl (Isabela Moner), they find themselves speeding from zero to three kids overnight. Now, Pete and Ellie must hilariously try to learn the ropes of instant parenthood in the hopes of becoming a family. INSTANT FAMILY is inspired by the real events from the life of writer/director Sean Anders and also stars Octavia Spencer, Tig Notaro and Margo Martindale.

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Image via Paramount Pictures
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Image via Paramount