Mark Wahlberg has been with “Uncharted” for a very long time, but not always in the same role.

Based on publisher Naughty Dog’s popular video game series for PlayStation, Uncharted follows two intrepid explorers – Nathan Drake (Tom Holland), a brave young adventurer just getting started, and Victor Sulli Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) a seasoned, some disaffected, professional. Together they search for the legendary lost gold, and face off against the less subtle treasure hunters led by the evil Antonio Banderas (chewing every piece of spectacle in sight).

Originally, Wahlberg was linked with playing the role of Nathan Drake in the film, first for director David O. Russell and then for a number of other directors in and out of the project. “It’s one of those things that we thought would make a great movie – there aren’t a lot of really perfect video games to adapt to the big screen,” Wahlberg told TheWrap during the film’s press day. “This is definitely one of them, it’s very cinematic, great storytelling, huge adventure, action, all of those things and we obviously infuse a great deal of humor into the film.”

The actor explained why he stayed so long, and his reaction when Sonny returned to him to play the mentor rather than the main one. “I was on board with David O. [Russell] Then we kind of moved on to another director and then another filmmaker, and then I just felt like everything was in limbo,” Walberg said. “So I was ready if they needed me, and then when I finally got the call, they said, ‘We’re ready to go,’” And I said, ‘Wow, who’s the other guy?’ I thought we’d get Jack [Nicholson]? Tommy Lee Jones? And suddenly they said, Tom Holland and I, “For what?” And they said, “For Nathan, you’re going to be Sully,” and I said, “What?”

But after thinking about it for a while — and especially when he saw the physical nature that Nathan’s role would include — Wahlberg was ready with the change. Then I said, ‘You know what really makes sense,’ and I read the script and thought, ‘Wow, he must go through absolute torture and hell physically and I’ll stay in the helicopter at my tuxedo’s barking orders and tell him what to do.

Check out our interviews with Wahlberg and Holland in the video player above. “Uncharted” is now exclusively showing in theaters.