Tuesday, 10 June 2008

Mark Wahlberg to become third-time dad

The Happening star says having a full house is 'hectic at times but a lot of fun'

Mark Wahlberg is to be a father for the first time

With two toddlers already keeping him busy, Mark Wahlberg is getting ready to add a third child to the mix.

And the 37-year-old actor and his longtime girlfriend Rhea Durham, 29, may not stop there.

"When the kids are good, we want eight or nine," Wahlberg said Monday in L.A. while promoting his new film, The Happening. "When they're bad, we [want] to stop at three."

The couple also have a daughter, Ella, 4 and a son Michael, 2, and Wahlberg (who didn't disclose Durham's due date) says having a full house is "awesome."

"Hectic at times," he admits. "But a lot of fun."

In The Happening, Wahlberg plays a science teacher in the new thriller, out June 13, trying to stay alive against a mysterious and deadly phenomenon.

But the actor says his own fears are far more real.

"My fear is failing as a father, as a friend, as a son. I have a lot of responsibility and a lot of people counting on me," he says. "And I know God has put me in this position to put back and try to create some opportunities for some others, show kids there is another way."

By Brenda Rodriguez