Mark Wahlberg knows exactly who will win at the Oscars on Sunday night, thanks to “a friend at PriceWaterhouse,” the star claims.
The “Contraband” actor tells The Huffington Post UK that “The Artist” will without a doubt be declared Best Picture in the culmination of the 84th annual Academy Awards. In addition Jean Dujardin, the star of the film, will beat out George Clooney and Brad Pitt to become Best Actor. As for Best Actress, Wahlberg alleges that Viola Davis of “The Help” has it in the bag.
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“It’s not a matter of who I want to win, it’s who I know is going to win,” Wahlberg said. When asked how he could be so sure, Wahlberg explained, “Because I’ve got a friend at PriceWaterhouse.”
PriceWaterhouse Cooper has been tasked with counting the Oscars ballots and stuffing envelopes with the winners’ names for the past 78 years. The company uses a blind tabulation system, with only two “ballot leaders” knowing identities of the victors. They prepare two briefcases with a complete set of winners’ envelopes, which are transported to the event via separate secret routes. The company calls the winners’ identities “Hollywood’s Best Kept Secrets.”
But Wahlberg also claims to “know” who will be declared Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress — Christopher Plummer of “Beginners” and Octavia Spencer of “The Help,” respectively.
And his crystal ball doesn’t just work for the acting awards — it extends to technical honors.
Wahlberg explained, “‘Transformers’ will win for best sound editing, and ‘Hugo’ — they will win Best Costume, Production and Cinematography.”
Wahlberg’s surety seems in line with the actor’s self-presentation of late. His cocky comments got him in hot water in January, when he told Men’s Journal that he could have stopped the 9/11 terrorists from hijacking one of the planes, had he been onboard as planned in 2001.
Wahlberg said, “There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, ‘OK, we’re going to land somewhere safely, don’t worry.’”
He later retracted the statement saying he was “out of line with my wording.”