Mark Wahlberg Apologizes For 'Insensitive' Remark

Mark Wahlberg, 40, has issued an apology for a comment he recently made about the events of September 11th that many interpreted as insensitive.

On the morning of 9/11/01, the Contraband star was supposed to be a passenger on Flight 11 from Boston to Los Angeles, one of the hijacked planes that was flown into the World Trade Center. The actor apparently had a different take on how events would have unfolded if he had been there. "If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn't have went down like it did," he told Men's Journal. "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.'"

Families of 9/11 victims were outraged by the suggestion that their loved ones could have done more to avert the tragedy. "What makes Wahlberg think he would have been a hero?" said Bill Doyle, father of victim Joseph Doyle, reports the New York Post. "Do you honestly believe he would have gotten to the cockpit and flew the plane?" he asked.

"Mark Wahlberg has the luxury of knowing how the events of that morning unfolded," said Alice Hoagland," whose son, Mark Bingham, was on Flight 93. "None of the innocent people aboard those flights had that luxury. The element of surprise was working against them, and it would've worked against Mark Wahlberg too, had he been a passenger or crew member."

After the outpouring of criticism, Wahlberg issued a statement apologizing for his rash comments. "To speculate about such a situation is ridiculous to begin with, and to suggest I would have done anything differently than the passengers on that plane was irresponsible," he admitted. "I deeply apologize to the families of the victims that my answer came off as insensitive. It was certainly not my intention."

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REVIEWS SLIDESHOW: The Happening (2008)

REVIEW: Contraband