Mark Wahlberg has revealed that he teased Darren Aronofsky when The Fighter received more Oscar nominations than Black Swan.
Both movies will battle it out in the Best Picture category but Aronofsky was due to direct The Fighter before pulling out of the movie - to be replaced by David O'Russell.
The Fighter, which stars Wahlberg as boxer Mickey Ward, bagged seven Oscar nominations while Black Swan only managed five.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly the actor said: "[He told me] that Black Swan was making more money at the box office...
"He was thrilled at [The Fighter's] success, but I pointed out that we had more Oscar nominations."
Wahlberg also revealed that he has never discussed with Aronofsky his reasons for leaving the boxing drama.
"I'm just assuming that it was because of other experiences he'd had in the past, or he felt that if it wasn't going to be done in the right way it wasn't worth doing.
"But I never really asked those questions - ultimately it's that person's choice. You've got to do what you've got to do and I completely get that."
The Fighter did well picking up individual nominations with Christian Bale, Melissa Leo and Amy Adams all being recognised in the supporting categories.
The Fighter is out now.
Tagged in Darren Aronofsky Mark Wahlberg