PAPALE: "WHENEVER I FORGET HOW TO BE MYSELF, I JUST WATCH THE MOVIE ["INVINCIBLE"] SO THAT I CAN IMITATE MARK [WAHLBERG] IMITATING ME."
PHILADELPHIA - Vince Papale, the real-life Rocky Balboa of the NFL whose unlikely stint with the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1970's is the subject of the new Disney release Invincible, is now a commercial mortgage banker in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Papale's business career is about to go into the stratosphere because of the new flick.
But Papale wants to be sure he doesn't do anything to hurt his good-guy reputation established by Wahlberg in the film, and he thinks he's found a surefire way to stay true to character. "I constantly call Mark [Wahlberg] to ask him, 'What would Vince do in this situation?'" Papale says that Wahlberg is very helpful. "Mark advises me about every aspect of my life -- what kind of car would Vince buy? What magazines would Vince read? Where would Vince get his lettuce?" Papale said.
In Papale's spare time, he studies Invincible frame by frame, the way football coaches study game films, mimicking Wahlberg's every mannerism. "Anytime I forget how to be me, I just imitate Mark imitating me," he said.
But friends say that Papale is finding it increasingly difficult to separate himself from Wahlberg. Last week after watching Boogie Nights in which Wahlberg plays a '70's porn star, Papale began bragging to his friends about how well-endowed he is.
