Mark Wahlberg pledges support for Scottish brothers rowing Pacific

The Herald Scotland

3 days ago

'I'm so inspired by you guys,' Wahlberg told the brothers, who are now 54 days into their row. 'You're badasses doing something no one else would even think of.
'This could be a movie. The best films I've done are based on true stories — ordinary people doing extraordinary things. No way I'd row an ocean, but I'd play one of you guys in a movie.'
As they battle salt sores, relentless weather, a broken watermaker, and a faulty autohelm – with over 5,000 miles still to go to reach Sydney, and more than £900,000 left to raise towards their £1 million target – the call with one of their heroes was a welcome and 'surreal' boost.
Lachlan, Ewan and Jamie Maclean (Image: Maclean Brothers) Wahlberg connected with the brothers over faith, family, and resilience, and pledged to help raise awareness for their mission.
The Perfect Storm star, who is the youngest of nine siblings, shared his own experience of life at sea – on hearing that the brothers had a tuna on the line, he recalled nights spent sleeping on a tuna boat with squid as a pillow while filming for the true story he starred in alongside George Clooney.
He commented: 'When I was preparing to do The Perfect Storm, I went out on a sword boat — in Ocean City, Maryland, a longliner, and we were actually fishing. We caught some pretty big tuna — 500, 600 pounder. I don't know how you guys are gonna wrestle that thing onto that boat, man. Oh my gosh.'
Wahlberg continued: 'What you guys are doing is next level. You're living out a sense of purpose – combining passion with impact. That's rare, and it's humbling to watch. People need to hear about what you're doing.
'I couldn't be more inspired by the grit, the determination, the resiliency. What you guys are doing for such an amazing cause, and how hard you're willing to sacrifice yourself and your own wellbeing for the good of others, is so inspiring. For you guys to do this under your own free will – it's pretty crazy. Some would say we might need to give you a couple of psychological examinations.'
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The actor, who owns restaurants in Sydney and the Gold Coast, also promised the brothers a meal at the finish line, which will be a welcome reward after four months or so of freeze-dried meals.
He continued: 'We'll have a meal waiting for you. My gosh, by that time, we may even be down there to welcome you.'
The Macleans expect to spend more than 100 days on board their 28-foot carbon fibre boat, Rose Emily, named in memory of their late sister. With no engine, no sail, and no support crew, they row in two-hour shifts, surviving on freeze-dried meals and desalinated water.
'It's been much harder than we expected,' said Ewan Maclean (33), who left his job as a Dyson engineer to help design and build the boat.
'But today we had dolphins surfing near the boat, and that lifted our spirits — and then we hear we get to speak to Mark Wahlberg, so spirits are absolutely through the roof.
'We are such big fans, and speaking to him is like a dream come true for us. It's so cool… but it's bloody surreal.'
Lachlan, who will turn 28 next week and is the youngest of the trio (Jamie's 32), added: 'We're all operating in such little sleep that we thought it all could have been a hallucination.'
The brothers, who previously set three world records rowing the Atlantic in 2020, are rowing for The Maclean Foundation, their charity supporting clean water projects in Madagascar.
Supporters can follow their journey and donate to their cause at www.themacleanbrothers.com.