LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: Mark Wahlberg sold his luxurious mansion in California for $55 million last year and moved to Nevada in order to give his children a "better life." The 52-year-old, who had humble beginnings as a performer in a local band, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, admitted that being a father and balancing his hectic schedule at the same time was "the biggest challenge" in his life. The two-time Academy Award nominee claimed that every moment he is not busy with work, he spends time at home with his children.

Wahlberg said that he wants to provide his children with the perfect environment for them to thrive. His daughter is an equestrian, one of his sons is a basketball player and the other one is a golfer. The 'Boogie Nights' star is determined to build his own studio in Nevada and make the state 'Hollywood 2.0.' He even has an ambitious plan to set up a factory for his sports apparel brand, Municipal.

'We came here to just give ourselves a new look'

The actor opened up about the endless opportunities that Nevada provides them by saying, "We came here to just give ourselves a new look, a fresh start for the kids, and there's a lot of opportunity here. I'm really excited about the future." Apparently, moving to a different state has not only proved to be fruitful for the Hollywood actor but his children have also significantly benefitted from living away from Los Angeles. The father of four says that they can have a lot more privacy and more freedom to follow their passions in life.

Mark Wahlberg is one of the highest-paid actors in the industry and reportedly has an astounding net worth of more than $400 million. But despite that, his kids live a rather simple life. "Everybody is thriving there, it's been great," the actor said of his children according to E! News. He was also impressed by his eldest daughter, Ella Rae Wahlberg's boyfriend when he came across him for the first time. "The genius thing is, he was so sweet, and [Ella] is like steamrolling me all the time. And he's seeing it, like she's being rude to me and she's being mean to me, and he's like ‘if you're not nice to [your dad], he may not want to be around you,'" the actor said about his 19-year-old daughter's boyfriend.

Mark Wahlberg's son Michael wants to be an athlete

Wahlberg revealed that his son Michael talks about sports all the time. The actor has full confidence in his son and wants him to develop his own identity. The actor said he doesn't come to football practice or games but watches his son from the car. Wahlberg's second son Brendan also loves sports, just like his older brother. He often spends a lot of time with his father and both play golf together.

Mark Wahlberg's special bond with his equestrian daughter Grace

Wahlberg's youngest daughter, Grace, is an equestrian with whom Wahlberg shares a special bond and is often seen accompanying one another on their outdoor adventures. Grace has competed as a horseback rider many times and has even come first on many occasions. The actor admitted that of all his children, Grace is most like him. Wahlberg, like a proud father, said that his daughter has figured it all out despite being a teenager.

Grace spends much of her time at the barn

"She's doing things that my other kids are kind of now starting to think, 'Well, we've got to start doing something because she's got it all figured out, what she wants to do and how she wants to do it," the proud father told People. "And she's doing the work!" The actor also added that his daughter spends much of her time at the barn, working her way to becoming a better equestrian. She's extremely punctual and is always earlier than ten in the morning.