Mickey Rourke bodyslams Hollywood

Rourke also starred in the notoriously erotic ‘Nine 1/2 Weeks’ with Kim Basinger, followed by the even filthier sequel ‘Another Nine 1/2 Weeks’. Rourke eventually became so disillusioned with Hollywood he quit and returned to boxing for a few years. Rourke soon realised he had to change and sought help from a therapist.

"I had to lose everything to understand what I was doing wrong," he explains. "I looked in the mirror and I said, ‘This is all your fault.’ I had issues with authority." Rourke decided to give the movie business another go and after a few low-profile film roles, he showed a glimmer of his much-promised acting potential playing vigilante anti-hero Marv in 2005’s ‘Sin City’. His comeback was cemented when he was offered the lead role in ‘The Westler’.

Rourke had little "respect" for wrestling before he accepted the role of Randy The Ram, admitting: "I had no idea you had to be so fit to be a wrestler. I thought it was a gimmick. I wasn’t crazy about it." However after hiring a cage fighter to help him bulk up and get fit, the star soon developed a newfound admiration for the contact sport. "After having three MRI scans in first two months and walking around limping, I realised it was tough," he accepts. "The physical preparation for the movie was devastating." Rourke is full of praise for the movie’s director Aronofsky, who he describes as "smarter than the rest of us". "There are lot of guys who talk about what they are going to do when they are in a meeting, but then they get out on the floor and they are a mess," he explains. "Darren got on the floor and he was prepared, he had done his research. He didn’t let me make crazy choices or fly off the handle."

Rourke was also impressed with Evan Rachel Wood, even though he admits he had never even heard of the young actress before they met on the set of the movie. In fact, the infamously difficult star was so taken aback by Wood’s acting prowess he didn’t even mind when she stole the limelight from him in one particularly emotional scene. "We did the scene and I remember thinking, ‘Wow, she is good. She is only 20 years old and she bringing it,’ " he recalls. "Evan kept getting better and better. Darren came over to me and said, ‘She is blowing you away, you suck!’ "

Wood says she drew on her own strained relationship with her father to put in a convincing performance as a daughter abandoned by her father. Although she says making the movie was "like 10 years of therapy in a week", she accepts it did help her confront her own personal family issues. "I can relate to a lot of what my character was going through. I was away from my father for most of my life, so I know the feeling, that loneliness - you're so sad about something but still so angry at the same time," she explains. However, it is alleged Rourke was less enamoured with Tomei, who plays his love interest in the movie. Rumours have circulated of on set clashes with the 44-year-old Oscar-winning actress. Rourke recently said working with Tomei was an "experience" when asked about their scenes together - several of which featured a topless Tomei giving Rourke a steamy lap dance.

‘The Wrestler’ has already scooped a prestigious accolade. The movie won the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival - the event's top honour - last September. The gritty drama has also received three nominations at this year’s Golden Globes. Rourke has been recognised in the Best Actor category, while Tomei is in the running for Best Supporting Actress. Bruce Springsteen - who was personally asked by Rourke to pen a track for the movie - has earned a nomination for Best Original Song for ‘The Wrestler’. Speculation continues to grow that Rourke could even secure a nod for the Best Actor Oscar this year. Rourke has even been accused of playing dirty to ensure he is the one walking away from the Kodak Theatre with the famous golden statuette next month.

Rumours began circulating that Rourke had turned on his close friend - and potential Best Actor Oscar rival - Sean Penn in a vicious text message, branding him a "homophobe" and claiming he didn’t "buy" Penn’s performance as a homosexual politican in ‘Milk’. Even though Rourke’s representative has vehemently denied the actor composed the message, one British journalist is convinced it is part of a underhand campagin to bag the Oscar. "I suspect his slagging off of Sean Penn is a direct response to the huge publicity campaign going on to win Penn the Oscar", claims Piers Morgan. "Mickey, at his heart, is a street fighter, the most natural street fighter Hollywood's ever seen."

Even if Rourke doesn’t succeed in winning any awards this year, he has made him intentions clear: this time he is staying in Hollywood. In fact, the actor persuaded Aronofsky to let him re-write The Ram’s emotional speech near the end of ‘The Wrestler’ so it felt "more personal". As the ageing fighter holds court in his beloved wrestling ring, he tellingly promises to carry on fighting until his fans don’t want him anymore. It is clear this is one promise The Ram - and Rourke - intends to keep.

‘The Wrestler’ is released in the UK on January 16.

Back to page 1