Mickey Rourke, who accidentally entered the film profession, has had more career ups and downs than most performers. After acting in Deathwatch, he moved to New York City to study at the Actors Studio. Diner, Rumble Fish, and Barfly were critically acclaimed, but he battled with popularity in 1980s Hollywood. He had turbulent relationships, spent his money carelessly, and was tough on set.
Rourke returned to boxing but suffered serious injuries. He returned to acting in Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler and was nominated for Best Actor. Since his unexpected recovery, his career has slumped again. Mickey Rourke’s Hollywood struggles: what happened?
Mickey Rourke is notoriously difficult to work with. With so many actors competing for work, why should directors keep taking chances on someone who can’t behave on set? No matter how brilliant an actor is, there are lines that shouldn’t be crossed.
Rourke is a “loose cannon” on set. “Working with Mickey is a nightmare,” director Alan Parker told People. “He’s dangerous on site because he’s unpredictable.” Rourke’s fury made being on his bad side on set scary. Many top filmmakers eventually gave up. He’s talented, but so are others. His intensity works onscreen, but it’s reportedly a liability offscreen.
Mickey Rourke’s mental health suffered as he lost Hollywood favor. Overdrinking worsened his sadness. Rourke later revealed Carré Otis’s divorce was the last straw. He had no luck. Everything he’d built was crumbling.
Rourke calls this his darkest period. “I was in a really bad place in my thoughts and heart,” he told Barbara Walters. “I wanted to disappear with a button.” Rourke slept in his closet for nearly five months. Rourke says his dogs helped him get out of bed and gave him something to look forward to during this difficult time. “The wife departed, the career was done, the money was nothing,” he said. “The dogs were alone.”
Many think they would be rich if they made as much as their favorite star. It’s a reasonable assumption, but many Hollywood success stories swiftly spend their fortunes. Rourke spent hundreds of dollars on any fancy thing he liked, even as his career declined.
Rourke admitted to cash-buying six Cadillacs and giving them to friends. In 1986, he paid $97,000 on the Shah of Iran’s armoured desert automobile. Before selling it, he only drove it five times in two months. Calculate roughly $20,000 per drive. That’s a budget buster.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become an unstoppable box office juggernaut, changing comic book movies from kids’ fluff into limelight cinema that attracts respected veteran actors. Mickey Rourke was one of the first big names to join the MCU, from brief appearances by Robert Redford, Glenn Close, and Tilda Swinton to important roles for award-winning actors like Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kurt Russell, and Brie Larson.
Rourke played Iron Man 2’s main villain, Ivan Vanko. Even given its date in the early MCU, lots of actors would have been eager to work on this sequel—after all, who doesn’t adore Iron Man?—but Rourke informed anyone who would listen about his poor experiences working with Marvel for years after the movie’s release.
Rourke said that Marvel eliminated much of Vanko’s character elements from the picture, despite his desire to play a multifaceted villain. Rourke called it “disappointing” and “not a Marvel fan.” He has the right to his viewpoint, but as we all know, publicly badmouthing a former employer isn’t a good idea. That may deter directors from working with you.
Many performers have learned to play nice in public and quietly go on after a film flops—maybe they’ll crack a joke about it a few years later, but they don’t want to dwell on it or disparage anyone else involved. Rourke, however, is a talker. He’s openly critiqued numerous of his films, including Marvel.
In 2011, Rourke said, “In your career and all the movies you make, you’re going to make a few horrible ones.” The stark honesty is admirable. On the other hand, it’s clear to see why he’s had such a hard time obtaining decent roles—making a movie needs dozens of people’s hard work, and it’s bad form when someone breaks ranks to publicly criticize their efforts as “awful.” He’s excellent, but for a filmmaker worried about set chemistry and being criticized after the film’s release, Rourke may seem like a problem.
Mickey Rourke loves acting, boxing, and pets. He thanked his dogs after he won the Golden Globe for Best Actor for The Wrestler. He loves Pomeranians and chihuahuas, treating them like his children. Rourke is a devoted dog owner, which may seem odd considering his menacing demeanor.
“Number One,” Rourke’s fluffy Pomeranian, is often seen on lunch dates with him. Rourke brought Number One to an Italian restaurant and bought him a highchair to sit with him. Rourke captioned the meal “Carbonara Day” and added a row of heart emojis to Instagram. Even Hollywood’s most notorious bad boys can’t resist a dog’s, unconditional love.
Mickey Rourke has confessed that he only acts occasionally for money. He openly wishes he could quit, but he can’t afford to. What would he do if money wasn’t an issue? After reading about his love for dogs, it’s no surprise that Rourke would spend his day working with animals in retirement.
“If I could get a job walking dogs and get paid the same amount I do from creating movies, I’d never create another movie,” Rourke said Alec Baldwin on Baldwin’s podcast Here’s the Thing. He seems to be done with acting, but he dug himself into such a deep financial hole during his free-spending days that he has to keep performing. Don’t feel sorry for Rourke—even low-budget movies have paychecks most people would kill for. He might retire from Hollywood and walk dogs.
Berlin, I Love You marked Mickey Rourke’s 2019 film debut as Jim. Berlin, I Love You disappointed critics despite its star-studded cast, which included Helen Mirren and Keira Knightley. The film offers ten stories set in the titular city, but none of the romance or European elegance helped them connect.
Rourke rarely stars in romances, but he appears to accept any story these days. However, Rourke’s 2019 looks light, with only Night Walk set for release. Mickey Rourke has more projects in the works, but his career may have reached a point where he doesn’t care about money.
Rourke fans, sorry. The American actor best known for his appearances in The Wrestler, Sin City, and 91 2 Weeks was said to retire aged 70, effective immediately.
