Mickey Rourke (16 page)

T
HE FILM IS FRANTIC, FEATURING A RECORD 5,000 EDITS, BIZARRE, AND SUITABLY TRIPPY, BUT
M
ICKEY SWAGGERS THROUGH IT AT HIS OWN PACE AND STEALS THE MOVIE WITH A PAIR OF MEMORABLE SCENES.
T
HE FIRST IS COMEDIC AS
T
HE
C
OOK DELIVERS A MONOLOGUE IN AN ADULT VIDEO STORE ABOUT THE APPRECIATION OF “PUSSY,” AND THE SECOND IS DRAMATIC AS HE TELLS A STORY FROM CHILDHOOD ABOUT HIS MOTHER BEING UNABLE TO TAKE CARE OF HIM AND WONDERING IF SHE SHOULD HAVE KILLED HIM.

T
HE MOVIE WASN’T A FINANCIAL SUCCESS BUT IT ATTRACTED PLENTY OF PUBLICITY.
M
ICKEY DID SOME PROMOTION FOR IT AND THE FILM GOT HIM BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT.
S
OMETHING ELSE HE GOT OUT OF IT WAS THE STRIKING PAIR OF WHITE COWBOY BOOTS HE WEARS IN THE FILM.
M
ICKEY TOOK SUCH A SHINE TO THEM THAT HE HAD IT WRITTEN INTO HIS CONTRACT THAT HE GOT TO KEEP THEM AT THE END.

F
ROM
L
ARRY
C
HARLES, FUTURE DIRECTOR OF
BORAT
AND
BRÜNO
, CAME THE FAR LESS ENTERTAINING
MASKED AND ANONYMOUS
(2003) STARRING
B
OB
D
YLAN, IN HIS FIRST SCREEN ROLE IN SIXTEEN YEARS, AS
J
ACK
F
ATE, A LEGENDARY SINGER ON A DOWNWARD CAREER SPIRAL WHO MAKES A COMEBACK AT A BENEFIT CONCERT FOR VICTIMS OF A WAR.
D
ESCRIBED AS “ARTY-FARTY” BY
M
ICKEY
R
OURKE, THE FILM, CO-WRITTEN BY
B
OB
D
YLAN, LACKS STRUCTURE AND SENSE BUT FEATURES A GREAT SUPPORTING CAST WHO WERE CLEARLY KEEN TO WORK WITH
D
YLAN, EVEN IF THEY COULDN’T ALL COMPREHEND THE SCRIPT.
T
HOSE NAMES INCLUDE
P
ENELOPE
C
RUZ,
C
HRISTIAN
S
LATER,
V
AL
K
ILMER,
E
D
H
ARRIS,
J
OHN
G
OODMAN,
J
ESSICA
L
ANGE, AND
J
EFF
B
RIDGES, ALONG WITH
M
ICKEY HIMSELF, WELL DOWN THE CREDITS IN THE ROLE OF
E
DMUND, A POLITICIAN WITH A PERSONAL CONNECTION TO
D
YLAN’S CHARACTER.

T
HERE WAS A REAL-LIFE CONNECTION, TOO.
D
YLAN HAD BEEN A LONGTIME FAN OF
M
ICKEY’S AND DESCRIBES IN HIS MEMOIRS,
CHRONICLES: VOLUME ONE
, BEING BLOWN AWAY BY HIS PERFORMANCE IN
HOMEBOY
.
M
EANWHILE,
M
ICKEY ALREADY KNEW
D
YLAN A LITTLE – THE ICONIC SINGER HAD BEEN A CUSTOMER YEARS EARLIER WHEN
R
OURKE OWNED
M
ICKEY AND
J
OEY’S, HIS TINY
B
EVERLY
H
ILLS DRINKS, SNACKS, AND PAPER STAND – BUT THE PAIR OF THEM BONDED ON THE SET OF THE MOVIE.
D
YLAN ASKED
M
ICKEY FOR ACTING ADVICE AFTER FINDING HIMSELF UNSURE WHAT TO DO WITH HIS HANDS IN SCENES WHERE HE HAD NO DIALOGUE, AND
M
ICKEY TOLD HIM TO FIND SOME ACTIVITY TO DO ON SCREEN.
E
VER SINCE THEN, THE LEGEND HAS PHONED
M
ICKEY EVERY SO OFTEN, USUALLY LATE AT NIGHT AND ALWAYS WITH THE WORDS, “
H
I, IT’S
B
OB…,” CAUSING A CONFUSED AND SLEEPY
M
ICKEY TO GRUNT, “
B
OB WHO?” AND GETTING THE REPLY, “
Y
OU KNOW…
B
OB!”

F
ROM
B
OB TO
R
OBE: IT WAS DIRECTOR
R
OBERT
R
ODRIGUEZ WHO HIRED
M
ICKEY NEXT AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WAS TO BE A KEY FACTOR IN
M
ICKEY’S RETURN TO THE BIG TIME.
W
ORKING FOR
R
ODRIGUEZ, FIRST ON
ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO
AND THEN ON
SIN CITY
, REALLY PAVED THE WAY FOR
M
ICKEY’S LATER SUCCESS.
T
HE
T
EXAS MOVIEMAKER HAD BEEN A FAN OF THE ACTOR FOR YEARS.
I
N HIS LATE TEENS, HE USED TO PRACTICE EDITING TECHNIQUES BY SPLICING TOGETHER SCENES FROM
RUMBLE FISH
,
ANGEL HEART,
AND OTHER
M
ICKEY
R
OURKE MOVIES THAT HE LOVED.
E
VEN THEN, HE DREAMED OF DIRECTING
M
ICKEY IN A MOVIE SOME DAY.
B
UT WITH LITTLE CASH OR CONNECTIONS, BREAKING INTO THE FILM BUSINESS WOULD BE TOUGH.

B
UT A LOT CAN BE ACHIEVED WITH DETERMINATION AND
R
OBERT WENT TO GREAT LENGTHS TO REACH HIS GOAL, CULMINATING IN THE FUTURE DIRECTOR SELLING HIS BODY FOR SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS TO RAISE THE CASH FOR HIS DIRECTORIAL DEBUT,
EL MARIACHI
.
T
HE SUCCESS OF THAT MOVIE LED TO HIM DIRECTING OTHER HITS LIKE
DESPERADO
,
FROM DUSK ’TIL DAWN,
AND
SPY KIDS
BEFORE HE GOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE
ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO
(2003), A HOMAGE TO THE
S
ERGIO
L
EONE WESTERNS HE HAD GROWN UP ON.

T
HE FILM, SET AROUND AN ATTEMPTED COUP IN
M
EXICO, FEATURED
A
NTONIO
B
ANDERAS AS A GUN SLINGING GUITARIST AND
J
OHNNY
D
EPP AS A CORRUPT
CIA
AGENT.
B
UT THERE WAS ALSO A ROLE FOR
M
ICKEY
R
OURKE – WHO HAD BEEN SUGGESTED TO
R
ODRIGUEZ BY
D
EPP – AS A SHADY CHARACTER NAMED
B
ILLY
C
HAMBERS.
I
T WAS A SMALL PART BUT
R
ODRIGUEZ WAS SO IMPRESSED WITH
M
ICKEY’S WORK THAT HE KEPT ADDING SCENES SO HE COULD GET MORE OF
M
ICKEY ON SCREEN.
H
E WOULD WRITE SCENES FOR
M
ICKEY IN HIS LUNCH BREAK.
A
N HOUR LATER, PAGES OF GREAT DIALOGUE WERE WAITING FOR THE
R
OURKE TOUCH.
R
ODRIGUEZ EVEN LET THE STAR ACT WITH HIS DOG
L
OKI IN THE FILM.

W
HEN THEY FIRST MET TO DISCUSS WORKING TOGETHER,
M
ICKEY WAS HOLDING
L
OKI IN HIS ARMS THROUGHOUT THEIR CHAT.
R
ODRIGUEZ THOUGHT THAT COULD WORK IN THE MOVIE, TOO, AND DECIDED TO ADD THE DOG (RENAMED
M
OCO FOR THE FILM, WHICH WAS THE NAME OF THE VILLAIN IN
R
ODRIGUEZ’S FIRST PICTURE,
EL MARIACHI
) TO THE SCRIPT AS
B
ILLY’S ONLY FRIEND.

S
OMETHING ELSE
M
ICKEY BROUGHT WITH HIM TO THE SHOOT WERE HIS OWN CLOTHES.
M
ICKEY HAS WORN, OR OFFERED TO WEAR, HIS OWN OUTFITS IN MOST OF HIS MOVIES OVER THE YEARS AND
ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO
’S DIRECTOR – WHO WAS BUSY MANAGING EVERY ASPECT OF THE FILM – WAS DELIGHTED TO GET HELP WITH THE COSTUMES.
H
E TOLD
M
ICKEY TO BRING SOMETHING “COWBOY” AND WAS IMPRESSED WHEN
M
ICKEY SHOWED UP WITH IMMACULATE TWO-TONE SUITS AND COOL COWBOY HATS.
I
N FACT, THE BLUE DESIGNER SUIT
M
ICKEY WEARS IN HIS CHARACTER’S FINAL SCENE WHEN HE IS SHOT DEAD WAS SO NICE THAT
R
ODRIGUEZ DIDN’T WANT TO RUIN IT BY PUTTING A BULLET HOLE IN THE JACKET.
S
O HE SPENT MORE OF THE PRODUCTION’S MONEY CREATING A DIGITAL SPECIAL EFFECT OF A BULLET HOLE THAT WAS ADDED IN POST-PRODUCTION IN ORDER TO SAVE
M
ICKEY’S SUIT FROM BEING DAMAGED.

W
HEREAS
M
ICKEY’S CHARACTER GETS KILLED – ALONG WITH NINETY-EIGHT OTHER CHARACTERS IN THE FILM – HIS DOG DOESN’T, AND THAT PROBABLY MADE THE MOVIE MORE POPULAR.
F
OR THERE IS A WELL-KNOWN RULE IN MOVIEMAKING CIRCLES THAT YOU CAN KILL ANY NUMBER OF PEOPLE ON SCREEN, BUT YOU WILL ALWAYS LOSE THE AUDIENCE’S AFFECTION IF YOU KILL A DOG.

M
ICKEY HAD A GOOD TIME FILMING SCENES WITH OLD PALS
W
ILLEM
D
AFOE AND
D
ANNY
T
REJO BUT WAS ESPECIALLY IMPRESSED BY DIRECTOR
R
OBERT
R
ODRIGUEZ’S ABILITY AND ENTHUSIASM.
A
ND THE FEELING WAS MUTUAL.
T
HE DIRECTOR WOULD SPREAD THE WORD TO HIS MOVIEMAKING PALS THAT
M
ICKEY HAD A THOROUGHLY PROFESSIONAL ATTITUDE NOW.

A
S HE GOT TO KNOW HIM BETTER DURING FILMING, THE DIRECTOR REALIZED
M
ICKEY WAS A TROUBLED SOUL AND HAD A LOT OF PAIN TO DRAW ON IN HIS PERFORMANCES.
R
ODRIGUEZ FILED THAT INFORMATION AWAY, THINKING IT COULD COME IN USEFUL FOR A PROJECT HE WAS IN THE EARLY STAGES OF THINKING ABOUT,
SIN CITY
.

M
ICKEY
R
OURKE WAS GRADUALLY GAINING A MUCH BETTER REPUTATION FOR HIS BEHAVIOR ON FILM SETS AND HE WASN’T ABOUT TO RUIN THAT AFTER BEING CAST IN A PRESTIGIOUS KIDNAP THRILLER STARRING
D
ENZEL
W
ASHINGTON,
MAN ON FIRE
(2004).
H
E WAS PROFESSIONAL IN EVERY WAY, SUCH AS STICKING TO THE DIALOGUE HE WAS GIVEN RATHER THAN IMPROVISING DIFFERENT LINES, AS HE HAD DONE FREQUENTLY ON OTHER FILMS.
M
ICKEY WAS ALSO AMONG FRIENDS HERE, WORKING WITH CO-STAR
C
HRISTOPHER
W
ALKEN AND DIRECTOR
T
ONY
S
COTT.
M
ICKEY HAD LONG BEEN ONE OF
S
COTT’S FAVORITE ACTORS AND THE DIRECTOR, WHO LIKES TO PUT ACTORS IN ROLES FEATURING ELEMENTS OF THEIR OWN PERSONALITIES, CAST HIM AS CORRUPT LAWYER
J
ORDAN
K
ALFUS, FEELING
M
ICKEY COULD BRING HIS OWN STRANGE MIXTURE OF SWEET AND DARK TO THE PART.

S
COTT HAD PLANNED ORIGINALLY TO MAKE THE MOVIE TWENTY YEARS EARLIER AND SET IT IN
I
TALY, WHICH WAS THE WORLD KIDNAP CAPITAL AT THE TIME.
T
HAT PROJECT FELL THROUGH, BUT WHEN THE CHANCE CAME AGAIN TO MAKE THE FILM, HE SWITCHED THE ACTION TO
M
EXICO BECAUSE THERE WAS AN AVERAGE OF ONE KIDNAP EVERY HOUR IN TWENTY-FIRST-CENTURY
L
ATIN
A
MERICA, AND 70 PER CENT OF THOSE TAKEN TURNED UP DEAD.
A
GAINST THAT BACKGROUND,
MAN ON FIRE
SEES
D
ENZEL’S FORMER
CIA
OPERATIVE HIRED AS A BODYGUARD TO A NINE-YEAR-OLD GIRL, PLAYED BY
D
AKOTA
F
ANNING.
B
UT HE CAN’T STOP HER BEING SNATCHED BY
M
EXICAN KIDNAPPERS, AND THE FIGHT TO BRING HER BACK LEADS TO ESCALATING action and intrigue.

MAN ON FIRE
TOOK IN $77 MILLION AT THE
US
BOX OFFICE, BECAME
M
ICKEY’S BIGGEST HIT IN THE
S
TATES, AND WOULD REMAIN SO UNTIL
IRON MAN 2
EARNED THAT MUCH IN JUST ITS FIRST TWO DAYS ON RELEASE.
A
NOTHER SMASH HIT WAS TO FOLLOW, AND IT REALLY PUT
M
ICKEY’S CAREER BACK ON TRACK.

A
FTER MAKING THE THIRD FILM IN HIS SUCCESSFUL TEEN HEROES TRILOGY,
SPY KIDS
,
R
OBERT
R
ODRIGUEZ WAS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING MORE CHALLENGING AND HE FOUND IT IN A FILM VERSION OF
F
RANK
M
ILLER’S POPULAR AND STYLISH GRAPHIC NOVELS ABOUT COOL CRIMINALS, CROOKED COPS, DASTARDLY VILLAINS, AND SEXY DAMES,
SIN CITY
(2005).

F
OR THE KEY ROLE OF
M
ARV, A HULKING, HUGELY TALL TOUGH GUY, HE THOUGHT IMMEDIATELY OF
M
ICKEY
R
OURKE.
T
HE CHOICE SURPRISED
F
RANK
M
ILLER, WHO WAS BROUGHT IN AS CO-DIRECTOR.
T
HE COMIC BOOK KING SAID, “
D
O YOU MEAN THAT SKINNY GUY FROM
BODY HEAT
?”
B
UT
R
ODRIQUEZ ASSURED HIM THE ACTOR HE HAD WORKED WITH ON
ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO
WAS DIFFERENT NOW, LOOKED PHYSICALLY IMPOSING, COULD DRAW ON HIS BOXING YEARS FOR THE BRUTE FORCE NEEDED IN THE FIGHT SCENES, AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY, WAS A GREAT ACTOR WITH A TORTURED MIND WHO COULD REALLY TAP INTO THE FRUSTRATION OF
M
ARV, WHO SPENDS THE MOVIE AVENGING THE DEATH OF HIS ONE TRUE LOVE.

M
ICKEY WOULD HAVE TO HAVE PROSTHETICS OVER HIS FACE TO RECREATE THE LOOK OF THE CHARACTER IN THE GRAPHIC NOVEL BUT, AS A FAN OF
JOHNNY HANDSOME
,
R
ODRIGUEZ KNEW HIS CHOSEN ACTOR HAD THE ABILITY TO ACT THROUGH HEAVY MAKE-UP AND BRING EMOTION TO THE SCENES.
I
T WAS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT THAT THE ACTING NOT GET LOST AMID THE STUNNING VISUALS IN THE STYLIZED FILM, WHICH WAS ALL SHOT IN FRONT OF A GREEN SCREEN WITH THE BACKGROUNDS DIGITALLY ADDED DURING POST-PRODUCTION.
W
ITH ALL THE COMPUTERS AROUND THE
A
USTIN,
T
EXAS, SET,
M
ICKEY REMARKED THAT IT WAS LIKE ACTING IN A
NASA
MISSION CONTROL ROOM.
B
UT DESPITE ALL THE
CGI
TRICKERY,
M
ICKEY’S GREAT PERFORMANCE GIVES THE FILM A RECOGNIZABLY HUMAN ELEMENT.