Darren Aronosfky's Mickey certainty

Darren Aronofsky knew Mickey Rourke was right for the lead role in 'The Wrestler' as soon as he met him.

Despite reports Nicolas Cage was in negotiations to play The Ram before shooting began, Darren insists Mickey was always first choice for the part.

He said: "As soon as I met him, I knew. Because I could just see that he had it. He still had all that passion bubbling in him, and there was all this armour. But if you look into his eyes, he was, this soft little guy. That was kind of the spirit I wanted to capture."

Darren also revealed Mickey, 52, spent months bulking up for the role before shooting began.

He added: "He had a reputation, and to be honest, I didn't know if he had the physicality. He's like 190lbs in normal life, but he's not a huge guy. He's a boxer. But to be convincing as a pro wrestler is a whole different level of muscle. But he put on 35lbs of muscle for the role over six months, and was really committed to that."