Mickey Rourke (36 page)

“
I
REMEMBER HE LOVED THOSE DOGS.
H
E ONLY HAD THREE WITH HIM WHEN HE WAS HERE.
B
EAU
J
ACK,
L
OKI, AND ANOTHER
C
HIHUAHUA.
W
E HAVE A DOG RUN OUT THE BACK AND HE WOULD TAKE THEM THERE.
T
HEY NEVER POOPED IN THE LOBBY,
M
ICKEY WOULDN’T TOLERATE THAT – HE WOULDN’T EVEN TOLERATE POOP IN HIS OWN APARTMENT.
H
IS HOME WAS VERY NEAT.

“
B
UT HIS CLOTHES WERE VERY EXOTIC.
H
E DRESSED EXACTLY THE SAME TEN YEARS AGO AS HE DOES NOW.
Y
OU WOULD NEVER SEE HIM WALKING AROUND IN A
T
-SHIRT AND SHORTS.
I
T WOULD ALWAYS BE AN EXOTIC COMBINATION OF CLOTHING.
T
HAT WAS
M
ICKEY’S STYLE.
H
E ALWAYS DRESSED DIFFERENTLY TO OTHER PEOPLE WHETHER HE WAS GOING OUT FOR A COFFEE OR GOING OUT FOR THE EVENING.

“
I
SAW A FEW OF HIS FRIENDS HERE BUT MAINLY HE WOULD GO OUT TO THEM.
H
E NEVER BROUGHT TOO MUCH HOME WITH HIM.
H
E WAS SINGLE WHEN HE LIVED HERE BUT
I
THINK HE WAS STILL VERY IN LOVE WITH HIS EX-WIFE
C
ARRÉ
O
TIS, THAT’S MY PERSONAL OPINION.
I
GOT THAT SENSE BECAUSE OF THE THINGS HE TALKED ABOUT.
W
HEN HE BROUGHT HER UP THERE WAS A DIFFERENT TONE IN HIS VOICE.
I
TOOK IT AS A RESPECT AND A LOVE STILL HELD.
H
E’D GO OUT WITH SOMEBODY BUT HE NEVER HAD ANY OTHER RELATIONSHIP HERE.
H
E NEVER BROUGHT THE SAME GIRL BACK HERE TWICE UNLESS IT WAS A FRIEND.

“
I
’D ALWAYS THOUGHT
M
ICKEY HAD GREAT ACTING ABILITY AND WAS AWARE OF HIS EARLIER FILM WORK BUT
I
HADN’T SEEN HIM DO ANYTHING ELSE IN YEARS.
A
T TIMES DURING THOSE YEARS AT THE
G
RANVILLE
I
GOT A SENSE HE WAS DOWN.
I
THINK IT WORE ON HIM THAT HE WAS JUST DOING NOTHING.
I
DON’T THINK HE LIKED DOING NOTHING.
M
ICKEY SEEMED TO LIKE BEING AN ACTIVE PERSON.
B
UT YOU CAN ONLY BE ACTIVE IF THERE’S SOMETHING TO DO.

“
I
AM SO ECSTATICALLY HAPPY THAT
M
ICKEY
R
OURKE IS BACK WORKING A LOT NOW AND IS HAVING ALL THIS SUCCESS.
I
HOPE HE MAKES MILLIONS AND MILLIONS,
I
TRULY DO.
G
IVEN THE RIGHT ROLES,
I
THINK HE’LL BLOSSOM INTO AN ACTOR JUST AS GOOD AS
D
E
N
IRO OR ANYONE ELSE.

“
I
DON’T CARE WHAT THE WORLD THINKS ABOUT HIM,
I
THINK HE’S A GREAT MAN.
I
T’S BEEN MY PLEASURE TO KNOW HIM.
I
’M THRILLED HE’S BACK AND WISH HIM ALL THE BEST.”

W
HEN
M
ICKEY’S FRIEND
J
OE
R
IVERA, ONE OF
A
MERICA’S LEADING FITNESS TRAINERS, WENT TO SEE
THE WRESTLER
, IT WAS LIKE A WINDOW INTO HIS PAL’S SOUL.
H
E EXPLAINS, “
T
HE HEARTBREAK IN THE SCENE OF HIM DANCING IN THE BAR WITH
M
ARISA
T
OMEI, WELL, THAT’S
M
ICKEY.
H
E’S TRYING TO BE HAPPY AND ALL RIGHT BUT STUFF IS BREAKING UP ON THE inside and that inner turmoil is surfacing a little. That’s kind of what he’s like in real life. Mickey’s a sweetheart of a guy but also a tough cookie and a troubled soul. He really brought himself to that part.

“
T
O BE A GOOD ACTOR, YOU HAVE TO BE IN TUNE WITH YOUR FEELINGS, LIKE HE IS, IN ORDER TO FIND THE TRUTH OF A SCENE.
I
KNOW
M
ICKEY HAD A TROUBLED PAST AND HAD COME FROM A ROUGH BACKGROUND.
I
’D TOLD HIM
I
WAS FROM
E
AST
H
ARLEM, WHICH WAS TOUGH, AND HE TOLD ME THAT
M
IAMI, WHERE HE WAS RAISED, WASN’T THAT GREAT EITHER.
I
T WASN’T ALWAYS LIKE IT IS THERE NOW.
Y
OU COULD TELL FROM LISTENING TO HIM TALK ABOUT IT THAT HE’D HAD A TOUGH UPBRINGING THERE.
Y
OU KNEW THIS WAS A GUY WHO’D EXPERIENCED REAL DANGER, PAIN, AND HEARTBREAK.

“
H
E DID A REALLY AMAZING JOB IN
THE WRESTLER
, PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY, AND PERFORMANCE-WISE.
I
STARTED OUT AS AN ACTOR AND ONE OF MY TEACHERS BACK IN
N
EW
Y
ORK WOULD ALWAYS SAY THE BEST ACTOR NEVER GETS CAUGHT ACTING AND THEREFORE THE BEST ACTOR EVER WAS
L
ASSIE, BECAUSE HE WAS SO REAL.
I
N THIS MOVIE,
M
ICKEY WAS
L
ASSIE.

“
W
HEN
I
MOVED OUT TO
LA
FROM
N
EW
Y
ORK,
I
NEVER EXPECTED
I
WAS GOING TO BE RUBBING ELBOWS WITH PEOPLE
I
GREW UP WATCHING ON SCREEN AND WHEN YOU GET TO KNOW THEM YOU NEVER EXPECT THEY ARE GOING TO BE REGULAR COOL PEOPLE – BUT THAT WAS MY EXPERIENCE WITH
M
ICKEY
R
OURKE.

“
I
FIRST MET HIM IN 1998 AT
G
OLD’S
G
YM IN
V
ENICE,
LA
, WHERE HE WORKED OUT NEXT TO ME.
T
HAT WAS GREAT FOR ME AS
I
REALLY RESPECTED HIM AS AN ACTOR AND ESPECIALLY ADMIRED THE WORK HE HAD DONE IN
BODY HEAT
,
THE POPE OF GREENWICH VILLAGE
AND
YEAR OF THE DRAGON
. He was someone I aspired to be like.”

A
S IT TURNED OUT, MUSCLE-BOUND
J
OE WOULD BECOME A SUPERSTAR IN THE FITNESS WORLD RATHER THAN IN FILMS AND IS NOW KNOWN AS “THE TRAINER TO THE TRAINER TO THE STARS.”
H
E SAYS, “
I
T’S FUNNY WHERE LIFE TAKES YOU AND IT’S FUNNY THAT
I
WOULD KEEP BUMPING INTO
M
ICKEY TIME AND AGAIN OVER THE YEARS AND WE BECAME FRIENDLY.
B
ECAUSE
I
TAUGHT BOXING AND HAD FOUGHT SOME AMATEUR FIGHTS, HE CONNECTED WITH ME OVER THAT AND LOVED TALKING ABOUT BOXING.
F
OR THE FIRST FIVE YEARS
I
KNEW HIM, EVERY TIME
I
RAN INTO HIM HE’D SAY, ‘
H
EY,
J
OE, YOU STILL BOXING?
I
USED TO BOX BUT
I
CAN’T ANYMORE BECAUSE THE DOCTORS TOLD ME IF
I
GET HIT IN THE HEAD, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN.’
H
E WOULD SAY THE SAME THING EVERY TIME.
I
T WAS SWEET.

“
W
E USED TO RUN INTO EACH OTHER AT THE SAME COOL RESTAURANTS AND CLUBS – AND AT ONE OF THOSE
I
REALIZED
M
ICKEY WAS A TRUE FRIEND.
A
T THE END OF THE 1990S
I
WAS DATING THIS MODEL AND HER ROOMMATE WAS THE MOST FAMOUS FITNESS MODEL ON THE PLANET, A REALLY NICE LOOKING GIRL BUT SHE WOULDN’T GIVE ME THE TIME OF DAY.
I
REMEMBER HER TRYING TO GET INTO
A
TLANTIC, THE HOT PLACE IN
LA
AT THE TIME, WHEN
I
WAS THERE WITH
M
ICKEY AND SHE WAS OUTSIDE IN THE LINE.

“
T
HE CROWD AT THAT PLACE WERE LIKE CHARACTERS FROM THAT MOVIE
SWINGERS
, A COOL BUNCH OF HIPSTERS WHO, EVEN IF THEY CAME FROM
B
UMBLEFUCK,
M
ISSOURI, THEY’D ADAPTED THEIR PERSONALITIES AND WOULD GIVE YOU THAT
N
EW
Y
ORK VIBE.
I
F YOU WERE SOME FITNESS MODEL FROM RURAL
T
EXAS DRESSED IN A SKIMPY, TACKY OUTFIT, YOU’D LOOK SO OUT OF PLACE THERE THAT YOU WERE NEVER GETTING IN – NO MATTER HOW GOOD LOOKING YOU WERE.

“
B
UT THAT NIGHT SHE SUDDENLY SAW ME POP FROM BEHIND THE velvet rope, shouted “Joe!” and started chatting me up. Suddenly, she was my best friend. She asked me to get her in, so I had a word with the bouncer and he let me in. Once she was inside, she went right back to not giving me the time of day…until she saw me standing at the bar drinking with Mickey Rourke!

“
W
HEN
I
STEPPED AWAY TO GO TO THE BATHROOM, SHE WENT STRAIGHT OVER AND TRIED TO START UP A CONVERSATION WITH
M
ICKEY, NOT KNOWING THAT
I
’D JUST BEEN TELLING HIM WHAT A USER SHE WAS.
S
O SHE SAYS TO HIM, ‘
Y
OU KNOW
J
OE?’
H
E SAYS, ‘
Y
EAH,
I
KNOW
J
OE,’ AND SHE GOES, ‘
I
KNOW
J
OE, TOO!’
S
O
I
GET BACK AND
M
ICKEY QUIETLY TELLS ME THE GIRL IS DROPPING MY NAME TO UP HER STATUS AND HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE PEOPLE IN OUR GROUP.

“
T
HEN WE ORDER A ROUND OF DRINKS AND
M
ICKEY, IN THE STYLE OF HIS ‘DRINKS FOR ALL MY FRIENDS’ CHARACTER IN
BARFLY
, POINTS OUT THE FITNESS MODEL TO EVERYONE, RAISES HIS GLASS, AND TOASTS, ‘
T
O
J
OE’S NEW BEST FRIEND!’

“
S
URPRISINGLY ENOUGH, SHE GOT THE MESSAGE AND LEFT IMMEDIATELY.
B
UT
M
ICKEY SHOWED ME IN THAT MOMENT WHAT A GOOD FRIEND HE WAS.
B
EING A MOVIE STAR, HE COULD EASILY HAVE SLEPT WITH HER – BUT INSTEAD HE CHOSE TO HANG OUT WITH FRIENDS.
I
THOUGHT IT WAS SO COOL THAT HE STUCK UP FOR ME.
M
OST GUYS IN HIS SITUATION WOULDN’T HAVE DONE THAT.
T
HEY’D HAVE BEEN LIKE ‘
W
HO’S
J
OE?
F
ORGET
J
OE…
J
OE
S
CHMO.
H
OT GIRL, SMOKING BODY, HALF-NAKED ALREADY – LET’S GO!’

“
W
HEN YOU PARTY WITH
M
ICKEY
R
OURKE, IT’S FUN AND FESTIVE AND THERE’S NO TENSION.
H
E’S WARM HEARTED, MATTER OF FACT, DOWN TO EARTH, AND KIND OF COOL.
B
UT HE CAN PARTY HARD.
I
GOTTA TELL YOU, THE BOY CAN DRINK.
H
E CAN DEFINITELY DRINK.
I
F YOU’RE PARTYING WITH
M
ICKEY, DON’T TRY TO KEEP UP WITH HIM, HE’LL HURT YOU.
H
E LIKES HIS

TEQUILA BUT HE CAN HOLD HIS LIQUOR.
I
’VE SEEN HIM POUNDING SHOTS BUT
I
’VE NEVER SEEN HIM DRUNK OR FALLING ON HIS FACE LIKE THE REST OF THE PEOPLE AROUND US.
T
HERE WOULD ALWAYS BE LOTS OF BOOZE, A FLOCK OF PEOPLE AROUND HIM, HOT GIRLS EVERYWHERE.
T
HINGS DON’T CHANGE.
I
WAS AT THE
H
OUSE OF
B
LUES IN
LA
EARLIER THIS YEAR AND WAS TOLD
I
’D JUST MISSED
M
ICKEY
R
OURKE WHO HAD SUPPOSEDLY SHOWN UP WITH A BUNCH OF
P
LAYBOY
P
LAYMATES.

“
I
T’S GREAT THAT HE’S BEEN WELCOMED BACK BY
H
OLLYWOOD AND
I
HOPE HE KEEPS GOING ON THE PATH HE’S FOLLOWING NOW.
I
F HE’D WON THE
O
SCAR THIS TIME IT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE PERFECT
CINDERELLA
STORY BUT THERE’S NO REASON WHY HE CAN’T BE IN THAT POSITION AGAIN.
H
E’S ALWAYS HAD THE TALENT.

“
T
HINGS WEREN’T GOING SO WELL FOR HIM A FEW YEARS AGO.
H
E WAS APPARENTLY LIVING BEYOND HIS MEANS IN THAT PERIOD.
P
EOPLE WHO WENT TO HIS HOME WOULD SAY WHEN YOU OPENED THE REFRIGERATOR THERE WAS NOTHING IN THERE – AND IT LOOKED LIKE HE WAS GOING THROUGH A ROUGH PATCH.
B
UT YOU DIDN’T GET THAT SENSE FROM
M
ICKEY HIMSELF.
I
’VE NEVER NOTICED HIM BEING DEPRESSED.
H
E’S NOT THE LOUD GUY IN THE CREW, HE’S MORE INTROSPECTIVE AND DOESN’T REALLY TALK ABOUT HIMSELF MUCH.

“
I
GATHERED THINGS WEREN’T SO GOOD AROUND SIX YEARS AGO WHEN
I
WAS COMING BACK TO
LA
FROM A BACHELOR PARTY IN
L
AS
V
EGAS.
M
Y FLIGHT GOT DELAYED AND
I
SAW
M
ICKEY SITTING ON THE FLOOR WITH THE HORDES OF OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN DELAYED ON A
S
OUTHWEST
A
IRLINES FLIGHT.
T
HAT’S NOT THE AIRLINE YOU FLY WHEN YOU HAVE LOTS OF MONEY AND THERE HE WAS SITTING WITH THE MASSES WAITING TWO HOURS TO GET ON THE PLANE.
H
E LOOKS OVER, SMILES, AND SAYS, ‘
H
EY,
J
OE!
A
RE YOU STILL BOXING?
B
ECAUSE
I
USED TO BOX BUT
I
CAN’T DO IT ANYMORE…’
S
O SWEET!”

12
C
HIC
U
NIQUE

W
HEN
M
ICKEY
R
OURKE ROCKED UP AT
M
OSCOW’S BLEAK
B
UTYRKA PRISON WEARING BLUE DESIGNER MOCCASINS WITH RED TASSELS, IT WAS CLEAR THAT A TRUE FASHION INDIVIDUAL HAD ARRIVED AT THE GRIM BUILDING.