Mark Wahlberg's Coldplay yearning

Mark Wahlberg wanted to sing a Coldplay track in his latest film.

The actor stars as Marcus Luttrell in Lone Survivor, which tells the true story of SEAL Team 10's failed 2005 mission Operation Red Wings, which was to capture or kill a notorious Taliban leader during the war in Afghanistan.

Due to the heavy subject matter, Mark – who used to perform with Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch – was keen to use some of his musical expertise to lighten the mood.

"We were trying to infuse some humour into moments, especially when they were about to get really serious," he explained during a press conference.

"I [said] I was singing a song, a Coldplay song, and then I started singing the song. Those guys wanted too much money for the song so we couldn't use it in the movie."

To keep things as authentic as possible, Mark and his co-stars Emile Hirsch, Taylor Kitsch and Ben Foster were treated as real Navy SEALS during filming.

The father-of-four isn't sure he could take on the job full time.

"I'm 42 years old so… As a man, I don't want to sit on the bench; I want to be in the game. I always want the ball so you would think, but it's not a question of a physical ability," he mused.

"It really comes down to that mental toughness that I think sets those guys apart from a lot of other guys that can't get through the training and graduate. So I don't know. I have no idea."