Mickey Rourke (29 page)

P
UZZLED,
M
ICKEY REPLIED, “
B
RUCE?
B
RUCE WHO?”

“
B
RUCE
S
PRINGSTEEN,” SAID THE ROCK STAR WHO HAD BEEN A FRIEND OF
M
ICKEY’S FOR MORE THAN TWO DECADES, AFTER
S
EAN
P
ENN INTRODUCED THEM, BUT WITH WHOM
M
ICKEY HAD LOST TOUCH IN WHAT HE CALLS HIS “LOST YEARS.”

E
ARLIER IN 2008,
M
ICKEY HAD WRITTEN
B
RUCE A LETTER TELLING HIM ABOUT
THE WRESTLER
, SAYING HOW CLOSELY THE STORYLINE FOLLOWED PARTS OF HIS OWN LIFE AND ADDING HOW GLAD HE WAS THAT HE HADN’T ENDED UP LIKE
R
ANDY IN THE MOVIE.
H
E WONDERED IF
B
RUCE WOULD LIKE TO WRITE A SONG FOR THE FILM’S SOUNDTRACK.
S
PRINGSTEEN HAD ALREADY PROVED HIMSELF THE MASTER AT CINEMATIC HEARTBREAK WITH HIS
O
SCAR-WINNING SONG “
S
TREETS OF
P
HILADELPHIA” FROM THE MOVIE
PHILADELPHIA
, AND
M
ICKEY KNEW HE COULD DELIVER ANOTHER ELEGIAC WINNER.

B
RUCE RECALLED, “
M
ICKEY TOLD ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE CHARACTER.
H
E SAID SOME PEOPLE INVEST THEMSELVES IN THEIR PAIN AND THEY TURN AWAY FROM LOVE AND THE THINGS THAT STRENGTHEN AND NURTURE THEIR LIVES – AND HE TOLD ME THIS WAS A GUY THAT HADN’T FIGURED THAT OUT.
S
O
I
SAID, ‘
W
ELL,
I
KNOW A COUPLE OF THOSE GUYS...’
I
N THE SONG,
S
PRINGSTEEN SINGS:
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A ONE-LEGGED DOG MAKING ITS WAY DOWN THE STREET? IF YOU’VE EVER SEEN A ONE-LEGGED DOG, THEN YOU’VE SEEN ME…

T
HAT NIGHT,
T
HE
B
OSS WAS CALLING BACK TO SAY, “
L
ISTEN,
I
WROTE A LITTLE SOMETHING.”
T
HE SAD BUT BEAUTIFUL SONG, WHICH IS CALLED
THE WRESTLER
AND PLAYS OVER THE FILM’S END CREDITS, IS THE PERFECT ACCOMPANIMENT TO
M
ICKEY’S HEARTBREAKING PERFORMANCE.
B
RUCE WROTE IT WITHOUT HAVING SEEN A FRAME OF THE FILM, BUT AS
M
ICKEY EXPLAINED, “
H
E DIDN’T SEE THE MOVIE, BUT HE KNOWS ME.”
A
ND AS A favor to his old friend Mickey, Bruce gave the song to the makers of the low-budget movie for nothing.

A
FTER THE TRACK WON A
G
OLDEN
G
LOBE FOR
B
EST
S
ONG FROM A
M
OTION
P
ICTURE,
M
ICKEY SAID, “‘
T
HE
W
RESTLER’ WILL PROBABLY BE MY FAVORITE SONG UNTIL
I
GO TO MY GRAVE.
B
RUCE DID ME A FAVOR AND YOU CAN’T PUT A PRICE ON SHIT LIKE THAT.”

I
T WAS A GESTURE REPEATED BY ANOTHER ROCK STAR PAL,
A
XL
R
OSE.
T
HE
R
AM COMES OUT TO THE RING FOR HIS FINAL FIGHT WITH THE
G
UNS ’N’
R
OSES SONG “
S
WEET
C
HILD O’
M
INE” BLARING – JUST AS
M
ICKEY DID IN HIS BOXING DAYS.
P
AYING FOR RIGHTS TO USE THE SONG IN THE FILM WAS WAY BEYOND THE MOVIE’S MEAGER BUDGET, SO
A
XL
R
OSE GAVE PERMISSION TO USE HIS SONG FOR FREE TO HELP
M
ICKEY, AND IS THANKED FOR DOING SO IN THE END CREDITS OF
THE WRESTLER
.

W
ITH THE MOVIE FINISHED AND THE MUSIC DONE,
THE WRESTLER
WAS READY TO BE UNLEASHED ON AUDIENCES, COURTESY OF A DISTRIBUTION DEAL WITH
F
OX
S
EARCHLIGHT, THE COMPANY WHICH HAD SCORED BIG HITS WITH OTHER SMALL FILMS LIKE
THE FULL MONTY
,
NAPOLEON DYNAMITE
,
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
AND ITS LATEST ACQUISITION,
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
.
W
HEN
F
OX
S
EARCHLIGHT SNAPPED UP
THE WRESTLER
AT THE
T
ORONTO
I
NTERNATIONAL
F
ILM
F
ESTIVAL, CRITICS AND FANS BECAME CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT POTENTIAL THEY HAD FOUND IN THE FILM AND IN THE COMEBACK TO LEADING-MAN STATUS OF PRODIGAL SON
M
ICKEY
R
OURKE.
B
UT THE REACTION THAT MATTERED MOST TO
M
ICKEY WAS THAT OF THE WRESTLING COMMUNITY.

H
IS OPINION TOWARDS THE SPORT HAD TOTALLY CHANGED THANKS TO PLAYING
T
HE
R
AM, AND HE WAS DESPERATE FOR THE MEN WHO HAD REALLY CLIMBED INTO A WRESTLING RING TO GIVE THE FILM THEIR APPROVAL.

D
URING MY POST-FILM
Q
&
A
WITH
M
ICKEY,
D
ARREN, AND
M
ARISA, THE DIRECTOR ANNOUNCED THAT ONE OF THOSE REAL-LIFE RING LEGENDS,
R
OWDY
R
ODDY
P
IPER, WAS IN THE CROWD SEEING THE FILM FOR THE FIRST TIME AND, STUTTERING A LITTLE, THE DIRECTOR NERVOUSLY ASKED THE BIG MAN AT THE BACK OF THE ROOM, “
W
-WELL, W-WHAT DID YOU THINK OF IT?”

R
ODDY REPLIED, “
Y
EAH,
I
’VE GOT SOMETHING TO SAY,” THEN HE PAUSED AND THE THREE GUESTS LOOKED AT EACH OTHER NERVOUSLY DURING THE MOMENTS OF SILENCE.
B
UT A MOMENT LATER HE PAID THE FILM GLOWING COMPLIMENTS, GOT EMOTIONAL ABOUT HOW REAL IT ALL SEEMED, AND ADMITTED HE GOT “CHOKED UP” WATCHING
M
ICKEY’S PERFECT PERFORMANCE.

“
W
HEN HE STARTED CRYING,
I
KNEW WE WERE OKAY,” SMILED
M
ICKEY.

A
T THE
L
OS
A
NGELES PREMIERE OF
THE WRESTLER
A MONTH LATER, SEVERAL MORE REAL WRESTLING STARS OF THE 1980S SHOWED UP AND, TO
M
ICKEY’S RELIEF, THEY WERE THE ONES APPLAUDING LOUDEST AT THE END OF THE WELL RECEIVED SCREENING.
T
HE STAR SAID, “
T
HOSE WRESTLERS ARE A GREAT GROUP OF GUYS WITH A SPECIAL CAMARADERIE.
W
HEN THEY ALL SAID THEY ENJOYED IT,
I
COULDN’T HAVE BEEN PAID A HIGHER COMPLIMENT.”

T
HE
A
MERICAN CRITICS RAVED, TOO, AND
M
ICKEY WAS SOON BASKING IN THE BEST REVIEWS OF HIS CAREER WITH HIS WORK IN THE FILM CALLED “HEARTBREAKING,” AND “DEEPLY AFFECTING,” AND “AMONG THE GREAT ICONIC SCREEN PERFORMANCES.”
O
NE REVIEW EVEN SAID “SKIP THE
O
SCAR, GIVE
R
OURKE A
N
OBEL PRIZE!”

W
HEN THE FILM OPENED IN
B
RITAIN A FEW WEEKS LATER, IN EARLY
J
ANUARY, IT WAS A SIMILAR STORY.

SUNDAY EXPRESS
FILM CRITIC
H
ENRY
F
ITZHERBERT DECLARED, “
T
HE
O
SCAR RACE FOR
B
EST
A
CTOR ENDS HERE.
M
ICKEY
R
OURKE IS TAKING HOME THE TROPHY FOR
THE WRESTLER
AND, IF HE DOESN’T,
I
’LL DIGEST MY
DVD
COLLECTION.”

A
WARDS BUZZ DID INDEED START TO GROW, AND DOORS WHICH HAD BEEN CLOSED TO
M
ICKEY FOR YEARS WERE SUDDENLY OPENING FOR HIM AGAIN.
THE WRESTLER
OPENED ON 19
D
ECEMBER 2008 IN JUST FOUR CINEMAS IN THE
U
NITED
S
TATES BUT, POWERED BY FULL HOUSES AND FINE REVIEWS, DISTRIBUTION HAD EXPANDED TO 700 BY THE TIME THE
O
SCAR NOMINATIONS WERE ANNOUNCED IN LATE
J
ANUARY 2009.

D
ESPITE ALL THE ACCLAIM THE FILM HAS BROUGHT HIM,
M
ICKEY
R
OURKE STILL HASN’T SEEN
THE WRESTLER
.
H
E DOESN’T LIKE TO WATCH HIS FILMS UNTIL A FEW YEARS AFTER MAKING THEM BECAUSE HE GETS IRRITATED BY THINGS HE WISHES HE COULD HAVE CHANGED OR TAKES THAT WERE UNJUSTLY CUT OUT AND SAYS OTHERWISE HE WOULD BE KNOCKING ON A DIRECTOR’S DOOR AT MIDNIGHT DEMANDING ANSWERS.

B
UT WHEN HE DOES GET AROUND TO WATCHING THIS ONE, HE CAN ALLOW HIMSELF TO FEEL PROUD OF A JOB WELL DONE.
M
ICKEY ADMITS, “
I
GAVE ALL OF MYSELF IN THIS ROLE.
I
T WAS THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME
I
GAVE ALL OF MYSELF.
I
T WAS THE FIRST TIME
I
FELT THAT SINCE
I
WAS AN ACTING STUDENT.”

O
NCE FILMING WAS COMPLETED, HE HAD BEEN KEEN TO GO TO THE WRAP PARTY AND CELEBRATE.
B
UT
M
ICKEY WAS SO SPENT, SO PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY EXHAUSTED, THAT HE COULDN’T EVEN GET OUT OF HIS CHAIR.
A
S HE SAYS NOW, “
P
EOPLE USED TO ASK ME WHAT’S THE BEST MOVIE
I
EVER MADE AND
I
ALWAYS SAID
I
HAVEN’T MADE IT YET.
B
UT NOW
I
SAY
THE WRESTLER
.
I
T’S THE HARDEST MOVIE
I
EVER MADE BUT IT’S ALSO THE BEST MOVIE
I
EVER MADE.”

9
A
ND THE
W
INEER
I
S
…

W
HEN
S
USAN
S
ARANDON OPENED THE ENVELOPE AND ANNOUNCED
M
ICKEY
R
OURKE AS THE WINNER OF THE
B
EST
A
CTOR AWARD AT THE 2009
G
OLDEN
G
LOBES, IT WAS THE SWEETEST MOMENT OF
M
ICKEY’S CAREER.

E
VERYONE SITTING AT
THE WRESTLER
TABLE IMMEDIATELY ERUPTED IN JOY.
D
ARREN
A
RONOFSKY AND
M
ARISA
T
OMEI WERE BEAMING AND, IN HER EXCITEMENT,
E
VAN
R
ACHEL
W
OOD SPILLED HER GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE ON
B
RUCE
S
PRINGSTEEN.
H
EARING HIS NAME CALLED,
M
ICKEY’S FACE BROKE OUT INTO A SMILE AND HE IMMEDIATELY EMBRACED
S
PRINGSTEEN.
H
E HUGGED
L
EONARDO
D
I
C
APRIO ON HIS WAY TO THE STAGE, TRIPPED ON THE STEPS, THEN RECOVERED HIS FOOTING TO COLLECT THE TROPHY FROM
S
ARANDON, AND TURNED TO ADDRESS THE CROWD.

E
VERYONE IN THE ROOM HAD RISEN TO THEIR FEET IN A RAPTUROUS, STANDING OVATION – THE ONLY OTHER WINNERS THAT NIGHT TO RECEIVE SUCH A TRIBUTE WERE
S
TEVEN
S
PIELBERG AND THE LATE
H
EATH
L
EDGER.
H
E LOOKED OUT AT THE SEA OF FAMOUS FACES CHEERING HIS TRIUMPH, SAID, “
W
OW…,” AND, CLUTCHING THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS AWARD HE HAD EVER WON,
M
ICKEY BEGAN A MEMORABLE SPEECH WITH THE WORDS, “
I
T’S BEEN A VERY LONG ROAD BACK FOR ME.”

* * *

I
F THINGS HAD TURNED OUT DIFFERENTLY, WALKING DOWN RED CARPETS AND WINNING AWARDS WOULD HAVE BEEN A REGULAR OCCURRENCE FOR
M
ICKEY.
B
UT, AS WE KNOW, THINGS WENT SOUTH AFTER HIS PROMISING START.
O
R, AS ONE DIRECTOR TOLD
M
ICKEY’S AGENT, “
T
HE GUY WAS A GREAT ACTOR BUT HE SHOT OFF ALL HIS OWN TOES.”

THE WRESTLER
PROVIDED HIM WITH A COMEBACK WORTHY OF
L
AZARUS AND MADE
M
ICKEY A FIXTURE AT THE GLITZY AND GLAMOROUS EVENTS THAT MADE UP THE
H
OLLYWOOD AWARDS SEASON OF LATE 2008 AND EARLY 2009.
W
ITH HIS STRINGY HAIR, DARK GLASSES, FLAMBOYANT CLOTHES, AND LITTLE DOGS,
M
ICKEY CUT A FASCINATING FIGURE AMID THE SUPERSTAR GLAMOUR OF THESE CEREMONIES.

T
HE MARCH TOWARDS AWARDS BEGAN IN EARLY
S
EPTEMBER 2008 AT THE
V
ENICE
F
ILM
F
ESTIVAL WHERE
THE WRESTLER
WON THE PRESTIGIOUS
G
OLDEN
L
ION FOR
B
EST
P
ICTURE.
T
HAT ACHIEVEMENT MARKED THE FIRST TIME EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THE FILM STARTED TO REALIZE THAT AUDIENCES AND CRITICS WERE REALLY RESPONDING TO THE FILM AND TO
M
ICKEY’S CENTRAL PERFORMANCE, WHICH THE FESTIVAL’S JURY PRESIDENT, DIRECTOR
W
IM
W
ENDERS, CALLED “TRULY HEARTBREAKING.”

T
HE BUZZ CONTINUED TO GROW OVER THE FOLLOWING WEEKS AS MORE AND MORE INFLUENTIAL AUDIENCES SAW PRE-RELEASE SCREENINGS.
I
T BECAME CLEAR THAT THERE WAS SUDDENLY SO MUCH AUDIENCE GOODWILL TOWARDS
M
ICKEY
R
OURKE AND, AS THE STAR SHOWED UP AT
Q
&
A
S AND SPECIAL SCREENINGS, AND DID THE ROUNDS OF
TV
CHAT SHOWS TO DISCUSS THE FILM, IT SEEMED HE HAD A REAL CHANCE OF AWARDS GLORY.