Payne is Wahlberg's "favourite role so far"

Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg says Max Payne is his "favourite role so far".

The former Funky Bunch figurehead reckons the part resonates with his "out of control" youth, and the lessons he learned growing up.

"I was lucky to get through it, but it made me stronger and, I hope, wiser. I had a lot of demons to fight. Maybe that's why this character is my favourite role so far," Wahlberg told Total Film.

"There's a definite theme of Max fighting the devils inside. There's a lot of action in this movie, but there's also plenty of emotion and psychology. It goes pretty deep."

Deep, but not dirty, explained Wahlberg, who said action can be done without buckets of blood or swearing or sex. He also wants "as many people to see [the film] as possible".

Wahlberg was allowed to add more than a sprinkle of humour, too.

"John [Moore - director] let me make the character much more than a one-note action tough guy," he added.

"Sure, I raise my voice, get in people's faces... But I ramp up the humour, too. He's like a version of my character in The Departed - sly and cynical but also very funny. That's the kind of thing people like to see me doing."

The film does have plenty of action, Wahlberg assures us; after all, Max Payne did slow motion gun-play before the Matrix, and Wahlberg said he did his stunts without wires and green-screens.

Wahlberg stars alongside Mila Klunis who plays Meg in Family Guy, rapper Ludacris, rubbish Robin Chris O'Donnell and Friends actress Nelly Furtado in the film.

Max Payne heads to cinemas in the UK this October.