Mickey Rourke (21 page)

T
HE REFORMED BAD BOY IS DETERMINED TO REMAIN FAITHFUL TO HIS NEW LOVE AND SAYS HE COULDN’T LIVE WITH HIMSELF IF HE CHEATED ON HER.
I
N
M
AY 2010 HE TOLD
B
RITAIN’S
OK! MAGAZINE
: “
I
HAVEN’T FUCKED AROUND ON HER.
S
URE,
I
COULD DO SOMETHING ON THE SIDE BUT
I
’VE GOT TO LIVE WITH MYSELF.
T
HAT’S SOMETHING NEW FOR ME – BEING HONEST IN A RELATIONSHIP.”

D
ESPITE RUMORS THAT THEY WERE ENGAGED, PROPOSING MARRIAGE HASN’T CROSSED
M
ICKEY’S MIND.
H
E ADDED: “
I
HAVEN’T ASKED HER.
I
HAVEN’T THOUGHT ABOUT IT YET.”

T
HE MOVIE STAR AND THE 5FT-11IN MODEL HAVE BEEN SEEN ARM IN ARM EVERYWHERE TOGETHER IN RECENT MONTHS, FROM THE RED CARPET AT THE
IRON MAN 2
PREMIERE TO RINGSIDE AT AN
UI
TIMATE
F
IGHTING
C
HAMPIONSHIP MATCH.
I
T REMAINS TO BE SEEN WHETHER OR NOT
M
ICKEY’S LATEST LEGGY LOVELY TURNS OUT TO BE THE ULTIMATE LOVE OF HIS LIFE.

W
HAT DOES SEEM CERTAIN IS THAT
R
OURKE’S EYE FOR A PRETTY FACE WILL FOLLOW HIM TO HIS GRAVE – AND PERHAPS EVEN BEYOND.
F
OR
M
ICKEY HAS SAID THAT WHEN HE GETS TO HEAVEN, HE HOPES
G
OD SAYS TO HIM: “
T
HE GIRLS ARE OVER THERE.”

6
S
IN
C
ITIZEN

M
ICKEY FELT ON TOP OF THE WORLD LATE IN THE EVENING OF 9
N
OVEMBER 2008 AS HE STROLLED ALONG
S
UNSET
B
OULEVARD ON HIS WAY INTO HIP
H
OLLYWOOD NIGHTCLUB
H
YDE WHILE HAVING HIS PICTURE TAKEN BY AN EAGER CROWD OF PAPARAZZI PHOTOGRAPHERS.
T
HE MEDIA HAD LARGELY IGNORED
M
ICKEY FOR MANY YEARS, BUT NOW HE WAS RELISHING BEING BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT THANKS TO HIS COMEBACK ROLE IN ACCLAIMED NEW MOVIE
THE WRESTLER
.

I
N INTERVIEWS PROMOTING THE FILM OVER THE PREVIOUS FEW DAYS, HE HAD INSISTED THAT THE BAD-BOY ANTICS AND TEMPER EXPLOSIONS OF THE PAST WERE BEHIND HIM AND HE WAS NOW A CHANGED MAN.
B
UT IT ONLY TOOK ONE QUESTION FROM THE PRESS PACK THAT NIGHT TO END THE SERENITY AND BRING OUT HIS ANGER AND SHARP TONGUE ONCE MORE.
W
HEN ASKED ABOUT A RECENT ARTICLE THAT CLAIMED HE WAS DATING YOUNG ACTRESS
E
VAN
R
ACHEL
W
OOD, WHO PLAYED HIS DAUGHTER IN
THE WRESTLER
,
M
ICKEY DENIED IT AND THEN MADE A NASTY STATEMENT THAT SUGGESTED HE STILL HAD SOME WAY TO GO TO BRING HIS DEMONS UNDER CONTROL.
H
E SNAPPED, “
T
ELL THAT FAGGOT WHO WROTE THAT SHIT THAT
I
’D LIKE TO BREAK HIS FUCKING LEGS.”

I
T WAS A CASE OF CHIVALRY GONE WRONG BUT, LIKE MANY TIMES BEFORE,
M
ICKEY’S BIG MOUTH GOT HIM IN TROUBLE.

* * *

M
ICKEY MAY NOT HAVE WON AN
O
SCAR, AT LEAST NOT YET, BUT IF THERE WERE A PRIZE FOR CRAZIEST BEHAVIOR BY ANY LIVING ACTOR, HE WOULD HAVE FEW RIVALS.
B
ECAUSE DESPITE HIS UNDOUBTED TALENT,
M
ICKEY HAS SPENT A LOT OF TIME ACTING MORE LIKE AN ASSHOLE THAN AN ACTOR.
H
E HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF MORE ECCENTRIC BEHAVIOR STORIES THAN ANY
H
OLLYWOOD STAR SINCE
M
ARLON
B
RANDO.

D
ESPITE RUMORS TO THE CONTRARY, BOOZE AND DRUGS HAVE NEVER BEEN HIS BIG PROBLEM.
I
T’S HIS ANGER AND HIS ATTITUDE THAT HAVE MOST OFTEN LET HIM DOWN.
T
HE
I
NCREDIBLE
H
ULK KEPT HIS TEMPER BETTER THAN
M
ICKEY
R
OURKE, AN EMOTIONAL TIME BOMB WHO SPENT MANY YEARS REBELLING AGAINST FIGURES IN AUTHORITY AND HAS NEVER LIKED PEOPLE TELLING HIM WHAT TO DO EVER SINCE HIS DOMINEERING STEPFATHER CAME INTO HIS LIFE.

H
E WOULD HAVE BEEN A MUCH BIGGER NAME IN
H
OLLYWOOD IF ONLY HE HAD TAKEN THE ADVICE OF VARIOUS REPRESENTATIVES, DIRECTORS, AND PRODUCERS WHO LINED UP SOME AMAZING STAR-MAKING PARTS FOR HIM.
M
ICKEY TURNED DOWN LEAD ROLES IN SOME OF THE BIGGEST FILMS OF THE 1980S –
BEVERLY HILLS COP
,
TOP GUN
,
HIGHLANDER
,
RAIN MAN
,
48 HOURS
,
THE UNTOUCHABLES,
AND
PLATOON
– AND IN THE 1990S HE REJECTED SUPPORTING ROLES IN BLOCKBUSTERS SUCH AS
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
AND
PULP FICTION
.
H
E STUBBORNLY CHOSE TO TURN DOWN HERO ROLES AND INSTEAD WENT HIS OWN WAY, BUILDING A CAREER LARGELY PLAYING THE ONLY KIND OF PARTS THAT INTERESTED HIM: DARK, EDGY, AND DANGEROUS CHARACTERS, OUTLAWS, AND VARIOUS OTHER BAD BOYS.

I
T WAS A ROLE HE WAS PLAYING ALL TOO FREQUENTLY IN REAL LIFE AS WELL, GOING AROUND NOT WITH A CHIP ON HIS SHOULDER BUT A BOULDER, AND SEEMINGLY ALSO CARRYING AN EDGE OF DANGER.
H
OLLYWOOD EXECUTIVES WERE SCARED OF HIM BECAUSE OF THE WAY HE USED TO SHOW UP ON set with an entourage of Hell’s Angels, bodyguards, and various other tattooed tough guys. In fact, Mickey always seemed to have a pack of human Rottweilers with him. Growing up around gang members and boxers in Miami had instilled in him an admiration for such hard men and he felt a lot more comfortable in their company than around actors or studio “suits.”

M
ANY OF THESE MINDERS WERE ON HIS PAYROLL AT UP TO $1,000 A WEEK BUT, BECAUSE
M
ICKEY WASN’T BEING ATTACKED BY DEMONIC STALKERS OR DRUG-CRAZED LOUTS EVERY MINUTE, THEY MOSTLY EARNED THEIR MONEY BY FETCHING HIS CIGARETTES AND PROJECTING AN UNAPPROACHABLE IMAGE.