Mark Wahlberg made sure that Linda Cardellini and the cast of “Daddy’s Home 2” were well fed as they shot the comedy sequel in his home state earlier this year.
As the face of his family’s famed restaurant chain, it comes as no surprise that the Boston actor served up a few Wahlburgers to his co-stars during production for the film, which hits theaters this weekend. Cardellini recently revealed to Metro that she and the rest of the “Daddy’s Home 2” crew got to much on the burgers, as well as check out a few of Wahlberg’s favorite restaurants, while they were in town.
“Yeah, everyone tried Wahlburgers,” Cardellini said. “We went to his favorite Italian restaurants. We also, on our own time, my family was there and we would go to the Dumpling House. They had the most delicious dumplings.”
Aside from eating “amazing” Italian and Chinese food, the “Bloodline” and “Avengers: Age of Ultron” star was blown away by her first trip to the Boston area. Cardellini, who plays the ex-wife of Wahlberg’s Dusty and wife of Will Ferrell’s Brad, was awestruck by how towns like Concord transformed into picturesque, Christmas-themed settings for the film.
“They looked so beautiful and idyllic. They’re so charming, these towns,” Cardellini said. “I’d never been to Boston before. It was my first time there, and it’s a nice way to go when you’re part of a big movie.”
Overall, Cardellini admitted that she had a lot of fun joking around and working on “Daddy’s Home 2” with Wahlberg, Ferrell and fellow Massachusetts native John Cena. The comedy centers around a father and stepfather who must join forces to make Christmas perfect for their family, including their own dads, played by John Lithgow and Mel Gibson.
Keep an eye out for one of Cardellini’s favorite scenes with her on-screen hubby, which involved smacking Ferrell in the face.
“I was like, ‘What do I do?” He was like, ‘Go for it. I want you to slap my face,'” she said. “So he just let’s me slap him across the face. He’s so much fun. He’s such a generous guy in person and as an actor. There’s no better guy to do comedy with.”
Should a third “Daddy’s Home” film get the greenlight, the former “Freaks and Geeks” star hopes to return to the francise in order to represent all the moms out there.
“I really love working with everybody. It’s really fun,” Cardellini said. “Someone’s got to be in there representing the mommies, so absolutely.”
“Daddy’s Home 2” hits theaters on Nov. 10.
