Mark Wahlberg, best known for his roles in "The Departed" and "Planet of The Apes," is in the process of asking the state of Massachusetts to grant him a pardon for a 1988 assault case in which he beat a man outside of a convenience store. The 43-year-old spent about 45 days behind bars, and is now asking the state to erase his teenage offenses from its record.

According to the Boston Globe, a 16-year-old Walhberg beat a Vietnamese man named Thanh Lam with a stick while screaming obscenities and racial epithets. Wahlberg now describes his actions as those of a foolish high school dropout under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

The Washington Post reports that Wahlberg has since apologized for his actions, stating, "I am deeply sorry for the actions that I took on the night of April 8, 1988, as well as for any lasting damage that I may have caused the victims...Since that time, I have dedicated myself to becoming a better person and citizen so that I can be a role model to my children and others."

 Wahlberg admits that he had a very troubled past - in an interview with Vanity Fair, he stated, "When I was 13, 14, 15, I had a pretty serious cocaine problem... I was sniffing and freebasing, but I never tried heroin - never saw it, thank god. If the cool guys in my neighborhood were doing it, I would have. Being the youngest and the smallest and the most eager, I was always trying to impress the older guys. And I wasn't scared of much at all." 

 But will the citizens of Massachusetts accept his recent apology? Currently, Wahlberg's victim Mr. Lam has not provided any comment concerning the pardon. However, Kristyn Atwood has. Atwood claims Wahlberg once hit her and her young classmates with rocks in the past, and stated, "For him to try to get it overturned and make it seem like it never happened? I don't think that's fair."  

Emmett Folger, who knew Wahlberg as a young man at the Dorchester Youth Collaborative, thinks differently. He said, "[Wahlberg] sure is a role model for anyone who comes from a low-income urban neighborhood and makes good...He's never forgotten where he came from. He deserves [a pardon]. Absolutely he deserves to be pardoned. Look at what he's done."