One of the most highly anticipated non-sequels of the summer is quickly approaching theaters this month.

A remake of the 1969 British comic caper of the same name, 2003’s “The Italian Job” stars a dream team of complementing talent: Mark Wahlberg (“Rock Star”), Charlize Theron (“Trapped”), Edward Norton (“Red Dragon”), Seth Green (the “Austin Powers” movies), Jason Statham (“The Transporter”) and screen legend Donald Sutherland (“Space Cowboys”).

Wahlberg and Green participated in phone interviews to promote the film and were very forthcoming about their views on life in show business and other issues.

The former’s claim to fame began as a member of the 1980s sensation New Kids on the Block. Following his short-lived stint with older brother Donnie’s group, he fell into a life of crime and drugs into his teenage years.

Donnie reached out to lend young Mark a hand back into the right direction by hooking him up with a recording contract. Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch was born, most famously known for “Good Vibrations.” But just like the slew of other pop wonders, Marky Mark became another piece of early 1990s nostalgia. And it’s just as well, as Mark found more passion and “reason to believe” in his future career in film.

“Before I signed a record contract, I was free to do what I wanted to do and I was in my own creative head space, and then once the record company got involved and started looking at the big picture and how much money they could make themselves, and that’s why…to really just do what I want to do at the pace in which I want to do it,” Wahlberg said.

He popped in and out with memorable roles in 1994’s “Renaissance Man” and 1996’s “Fear,” but broke into solidly respected national stardom with 1997’s “Boogie Nights.” In spite of the attention, Mark hasn’t let that turning point sway him one bit.

“It was an actor’s piece…and I’m trying to do something different every time out. I think if you have a situation where you’re in a movie like a ‘Titanic,’ then there’s (a) huge amount of pressure on you.”

“I’m just going to do something different, and going back now to doing a bunch of smaller films, more independent films, and just try to balance the two. But I (haven’t felt) any pressure at all about anything for a long time now. It’s easy for me.”

Co-star Green shared similar ideals about the manner in which he handles his career.

“I’ve actually had meetings with directors, where I tell them, ‘I don’t think that I can do anything with this part that anybody else couldn’t do.'”

“I don’t say that to be self-deprecating. It’s just, when I read something and I really get a vision for it, then I know I should do it. It’s not like I’m constantly trying to wow everybody.”

“It’s just, I like to challenge myself and I like to do things that I haven’t done. I’m not in this game to make a lot of money and be famous. I do it because I love acting. That’s really how I pick them. I’ve just been lucky enough to find a bunch of parts that help me do that.”

As “Can’t Hardly Wait” ranks among the best 1990s teen ensemble comedies, he found its cherished value for audiences compares to the best teen comedies of the 1980s, namely the John Hughes films of that decade.

“It wasn’t the first time you saw them that made that impression. It was the fact (that) I saw ‘Ferris Bueller,’ ‘Breakfast Club’ and ‘Sixteen Candles’ and all those movies over and over and over again until I knew them by heart, and that’s when they were important to me.”

“So, right out of the gate you get people trying to compare a movie that you’re seeing for the first time, that was just made, to something that you’ve lived with for the last 15 years. It’s incomparable,” he said.

With that kind of honesty and personality, it’s no wonder audiences have attached themselves to Wahlberg and Green. Engaging and charming in their own right, there’s no surprise to their casting in “The Italian Job.” The film opens in Sacramento and nationwide on May 30.