Mickey Rourke (38 page)

H
E HAS TRIED OUT VARIOUS LOOKS IN THE LAST TWO DECADES – WE’VE HAD HIP-HOP
M
ICKEY, BIKER
M
ICKEY, AND FOPPISH
M
ICKEY AMONG OTHERS.
R
OURKE HAS WORN ALL MANNER OF EYE-CATCHING OUTFITS, FROM SILK PAISLEY SHIRTS TO GOLD PIN-STRIPED SUITS.
T
HROUGH IT ALL, HE HAS STUCK TO TWO KEY RULES – HE NEVER WEARS RED AND HARDLY EVER WEARS UNDERWEAR.

T
HIS MIX OF FLAMBOYANT BUT QUALITY CLOTHES AND TOUGH GUY ACCESSORIES HE GOES FOR NOW IS AN UNDOUBTEDLY STYLISH COMBINATION.
D
ARREN
A
RONOFSKY HAS A THEORY THAT
M
ICKEY WEARS ALL THESE EYE-CATCHING OUTFITS AS A DEFENSE MECHANISM TO STOP PEOPLE LOOKING INTO HIS EYES – THE WINDOWS TO THE SOUL.
H
E HAS CERTAINLY HIDDEN BEHIND A MASK OR HIS CHARACTERS IN THE PAST, BUT THESE DAYS
M
ICKEY SEEMS A WHOLE LOT HAPPIER AND IS JUST BEING HIMSELF – AND LOOKING GOOD DOING IT.

L
ONG MAY HE CONTINUE TO WORK THE RED CARPET WITH PANACHE, KEEP TAKING FASHION CHANCES, AND GET EVERYONE TALKING WITH HIS DECADENT SELECTIONS.
I
T MAY NOT BE TO EVERYONE’S TASTE, BUT THE MAN’S CERTAINLY GOT STYLE.

13
F
AR
F
ROM
E
XPENDABLE

M
ICKEY
R
OURKE FELT ON TOP OF THE WORLD WHEN HE WAS OFFERED THE MAIN VILLAIN’S ROLE IN
IRON MAN 2
– UNTIL HE SAW HOW MUCH HE WOULD BE PAID FOR THE FOLLOW-UP TO A FILM WHICH MADE HALF A BILLION DOLLARS WORLDWIDE.
T
HE OFFER WAS $250,000, A PRINCELY SUM TO MOST OF US BUT AN INSULTINGLY LOW ONE FOR AN
O
SCAR-NOMINATED ACTOR IN A BIG-BUDGET BLOCKBUSTER.

N
OW
M
ICKEY HAD A DILEMMA.
A
FTER
THE WRESTLER
HAD MADE HIM SUCCESSFUL AGAIN, BUT NOT WEALTHY, HE HAD RESOLVED TO CHASE THE BEST ROLES RATHER THAN THE BEST PAY CHECKS, AND HE WAS EXTREMELY KEEN TO ACT ALONGSIDE
R
OBERT
D
OWNEY
J
R. IN THE SEQUEL TO ONE OF
H
OLLYWOOD’S BEST RECENT HITS.
B
UT EVEN SO, COULD HE REALLY LET MONEYBAGS
M
ARVEL
E
NTERTAINMENT GET HIM ON THE CHEAP?
T
HEY HAD ALREADY SHOWN THEY WOULDN’T BE HELD TO RANSOM ON THIS PROJECT BY REPLACING
T
ERRENCE
H
OWARD WITH
D
ON
C
HEADLE AFTER
H
OWARD PROTESTED HIS PAY DEAL FOR RETURNING AS THE SUPERHERO’S SIDEKICK,
L
T.
C
OL.
J
AMES
R
HODES.

T
ALKS CONTINUED FOR WEEKS AS
M
ARVEL CLAIMED MONEY PROBLEMS.
B
UT WHEN ITS LATEST REPORT SHOWED HUGE FOURTH-QUARTER PROFITS OF $63 MILLION, MOSTLY DUE TO
DVD
SALES OF THE FIRST
IRON MAN
FILM, IT WAS HARD TO KEEP MAKING THAT ARGUMENT.
I
N THE END, IT TOOK THE PERSONAL INTERVENTION OF
R
OBERT
D
OWNEY
J
R. TO PERSUADE MOVIE BOSSES TO FORK OUT MORE FOR
M
ICKEY.
L
IKE
M
ICKEY,
D
OWNEY WAS A TROUBLED BUT TALENTED ACTOR WHO HAD MADE A COOL COMEBACK AND HE KNEW THE SEQUEL WOULD BE A WHOLE LOT MORE SPECIAL WITH
M
ICKEY IN IT.
T
HE DEAL WAS FINALLY DONE IN
M
ARCH 2009 – A MONTH AHEAD OF FILMING – WITH THE INCREASE IN PAY UNDISCLOSED BUT SAID TO BE SUBSTANTIAL.

T
HEN IN-DEMAND
M
ICKEY GOT ANOTHER AMAZING OFFER – TO JOIN THE ALL-STAR CAST OF
S
YLVESTER
S
TALLONE’S RIP-ROARING ACTION MOVIE,
THE EXPENDABLES.
R
EMEMBERING HOW
S
LY HAD STUCK BY HIM IN THE LEAN YEARS, HE EAGERLY ACCEPTED THE CHANCE TO WORK WITH HIM AGAIN AND ADD HIS NAME TO THE FILM’S EYE-CATCHING CAST OF 1980S ICONS, WHICH ALONG WITH
R
OURKE AND
S
TALLONE ALSO INCLUDED
A
RNOLD
S
CHWARZENEGGER AND
B
RUCE
W
ILLIS.
THE EXPENDABLES
WAS TO BE RELEASED IN
A
UGUST 2010, JUST THREE MONTHS AFTER
IRON MAN 2
, THEREBY PUTTING
R
OURKE RIGHT AT THE CENTER OF TWO BIG BUDGET SUMMER BLOCKBUSTERS.

A
FTER YEARS IN LITTLE INDEPENDENT FILMS THAT HARDLY ANYONE SAW,
M
ICKEY WAS NOW IN THE MOVIES THAT MATTERED.
F
URTHERMORE, AT AN AGE WHEN OTHER FAMOUS ACTORS RELUCTANTLY GET PUSHED TOWARDS THE
H
OLLYWOOD RETIREMENT HOME, COMEBACK KING
M
ICKEY WAS PROVING HIMSELF TO BE FAR FROM EXPENDABLE.

* * *

M
EN-ON-A-MISSION MOVIE
THE EXPENDABLES
IS ABOUT A CRACK TEAM OF HIRED GUNS SENT TO A
S
OUTH
A
MERICAN COUNTRY TO OVERTHROW THE RUTHLESS DICTATOR IN CHARGE.
A
S THE MISSION BEGINS, THE MERCENARIES DISCOVER THAT THE SITUATION IS NOT WHAT IT APPEARS, AND THE BAND OF BROTHERS IS SOON BATTLING DECEIT AND BETRAYAL. 
W
RITER-DIRECTOR AND STAR
S
YLVESTER
S
TALLONE ASSEMBLED A TROOP OF TOUGH GUY LEGENDS TO APPEAR ALONGSIDE HIM – MARTIAL ARTS MAESTRO
J
ET
L
I,
THE TRANSPORTER
’S
J
ASON
S
TATHAM, WRESTLING GREAT
S
TONE
C
OLD
S
TEVE
A
USTIN,
U
LTIMATE
F
IGHTING
C
HAMPIONSHIP STAR
R
ANDY
C
OUTURE, EX-
NFL
LINEBACKER
T
ERRY
C
REWS,
S
LY’S
ROCKY IV
COSTAR
D
OLPH
L
UNDGREN, AND SCREEN VETERAN
E
RIC
R
OBERTS.
S
TALLONE OFFERED ROLES TO FELLOW ACTION ICONS
J
EAN-
C
LAUDE
V
AN
D
AMME AND
S
TEVEN
S
EAGAL, BUT BOTH MEN TURNED DOWN THE CHANCE TO JOIN THE PARTY.

M
ICKEY HAD NO HESITATION IN SIGNING ON TO STAR AS
T
OOL, AN ARMS DEALER AND TATTOO ARTIST WHO PROVIDES THE MERCENARIES WITH THEIR FIREPOWER.
H
E WORE HIS OWN CLOTHES IN THE FILM AND HAD A GREAT TIME ON SET.
G
OING TO WORK WITH A MIXTURE OF REAL LIFE FIGHTERS AND OLD FRIENDS, ALL OF WHOM RESPECTED HIM, WAS MOST DEFINITELY HIS IDEA OF FUN.

D
ESPITE ALL THE HARD-MAN ROLES HE HAS PLAYED OVER THE YEARS,
R
OURKE HASN’T KILLED THAT MANY PEOPLE ON SCREEN – AT LEAST NOT COMPARED WITH SOME OF HIS CO-STARS IN
THE EXPENDABLES
.
M
ICKEY’S CHARACTERS HAVE A TOTAL OF 54 SCREEN KILLS, WHICH COMPARES UNFAVORABLY TO
J
ASON
S
TATHAM’S 137,
B
RUCE
W
ILLIS’S 187, AND
J
ET
L
I’S 209, WHILE HIS FIGURE IS POSITIVELY DWARFED BY
S
YLVESTER
S
TALLONE’S 338 AND
A
RNOLD
S
CHWARZENEGGER’S 510.

I
T WAS A HUGE CASTING COUP FOR
S
LY
S
TALLONE TO GET BOTH
A
RNOLD
S
CHWARZENEGGER AND
B
RUCE
W
ILLIS ON BOARD FOR CAMEO ROLES IN HIS ORGY OF ACTION – ESPECIALLY BECAUSE
W
ILLIS WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF SHOOTING ANOTHER MOVIE AT THE TIME, THE COMEDY
COP OUT
, AND THE
G
OVERNATOR WAS BUSY RUNNING
C
ALIFORNIA.
E
ACH TIME A FILMING DATE WAS AGREED, IT KEPT CHANGING BECAUSE
A
RNIE SUDDENLY HAD A BUDGET CRISIS OR A FIRE TO DEAL WITH.
B
UT EVENTUALLY, AT 8:10
A.M.
ON 25
O
CTOBER 2009, CAMERAS ROLLED AT THE
H
OLLYWOOD
P
RESBYTERIAN
C
HURCH ON A SCENE WHICH MARKED THE FIRST TIME THE TOUGH GUY TRIO OF
S
LY,
A
RNIE, AND
B
RUCE EVER APPEARED ON SCREEN TOGETHER.
B
RUCE PLAYS A SHADY MOGUL WHO HIRES
S
LY’S TEAM FOR THE MISSION ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF A FELLOW SOLDIER OF FORTUNE PLAYED BY
A
RNIE.

B
Y THAT TIME, MOST OF THE MOVIE, SHOT ON LOCATION IN
L
OUISIANA AND
B
RAZIL, WAS IN THE CAN.
P
UBLIC ANTICIPATION WAS ALREADY BUILDING FOR THIS GREATEST EVER GATHERING OF ACTION HEROES IN ONE FILM.
W
HEN THE FIRST TRAILER WAS RELEASED ON
Y
OU
T
UBE, IT GOT A MILLION VIEWS IN ITS FIRST WEEK.
W
ITH ALL THAT TESTOSTERONE AMONG THE BIG NAMES ON SET, THERE WAS NO HOLDING BACK FROM THE MACHO MOVIE ACTORS IN THE CLOSE COMBAT SCENES.
I
T WAS SUCH A TOUGH SHOOT THAT
S
TALLONE SUFFERED A HAIRLINE FRACTURE OF HIS NECK WHILE FILMING A FIGHT SCENE WITH
S
TEVE
A
USTIN AND HAD TO HAVE EMERGENCY SURGERY THAT LEFT HIM WITH A METAL PLATE INSERTED IN HIS NECK.
M
ICKEY, WHO CAME INTO THE FILM NURSING THAT INJURY SUFFERED WHEN ARM WRESTLING A RUGBY PLAYER IN A
L
ONDON PUB, ESCAPED THE ROUGH SHOOT UNSCATHED.
T
HAT WAS A RELIEF BECAUSE THE WORK OFFERS KEPT ON COMING AND THE ROLES WERE STACKING UP.

N
EXT HE SHOT A DRAMATIC, ROMANTIC, AND VERY DIFFERENT LEAD ROLE IN
PASSION PLAY
, AS A DOWN-ON-HIS-LUCK 1950S TRUMPET PLAYER NAMED
N
ATE WHO COMES TO THE RESCUE OF A CAGED CIRCUS FREAK WITH ANGEL-LIKE WINGS, PLAYED BY
TRANSFORMERS
SEXPOT
M
EGAN
F
OX.
H
IS CO-STAR HAS OFTEN COME IN FOR CRITICISM THAT HER LOOKS ARE A LOT MORE IMPRESSIVE THAN HER TALENT, BUT
R
OURKE THINKS SHE’S HAD A RAW DEAL AND AFTER WORKING WITH
M
EGAN CALLS HER THE BEST YOUNG ACTRESS HE HAS EVER STARRED WITH.
T
HE INTRIGUING FILM REUNITES 
R
OURKE WITH HIS
DESPERATE HOURS
LEADING LADY
K
ELLY
L
YNCH, WHO PLAYS HIS BARTENDER BEST FRIEND, AND ALSO FEATURES
B
ILL
M
URRAY.

B
USY
M
ICKEY FOLLOWED THAT ONE WITH
IMMORTALS
, A
C
LASH OF THE
T
ITANS – TYPE MYTHOLOGICAL ADVENTURE MOVIE IN WHICH A YOUNG
G
REEK WARRIOR BATTLES THE ANCIENT
G
ODS IN A BID TO SAVE MANKIND.
R
OURKE PLAYS EVIL
K
ING
H
YPERION AND HIS CO-STARS INCLUDE
J
OHN
H
URT AS
O
LD
Z
EUS AND
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
’S
F
REIDA
P
INTO AS A PRINCESS.
V
ISUAL FLAIR IS THE SIGNATURE OF DIRECTOR
T
ARSEM
S
INGH AND HIS STYLE, ALONG WITH
R
OURKE’S TALENT, SHOULD SET THIS ONE APART FROM OTHER SWORD AND SANDALS PICS.

A
LREADY COMPLETED AND AWAITING RELEASE IS
13
, A CRIME THRILLER THAT
M
ICKEY CALLS A “WONDERFUL” FILM.
H
E PLAYS ANTI-HERO
J
ESSE
J
AMES
J
EFFERSON, A TOBACCO-CHEWING
T
EXAS COWBOY AND EX-CONVICT WHO BECOMES EMBROILED IN A VERSION OF
R
USSIAN ROULETTE WHERE HIGH ROLLERS BET ON THE LIVES OF KIDNAPPED OUTSIDERS.
J
ASON
S
TATHAM,
R
AY
W
INSTONE,
R
AY
L
IOTTA, AND 50
C
ENT MAKE UP AN IMPRESSIVE ENSEMBLE CAST.
A
LSO IN THE FILM IS ONE OF
M
ICKEY’S OLDEST AND DEAREST FRIENDS, LARGER-THAN-LIFE
H
ELL’S
A
NGEL-TURNED-BODYGUARD-TURNED-ACTOR AND
DJ
C
HUCK
Z
ITO, WHO APPEARS AS ONE OF THE GANG WHO KIDNAPS
J
EFFERSON SO HE CAN BE A PLAYER IN THE DEADLY GAME.

M
ICKEY HAS RECENTLY BEEN IN TALKS ABOUT STARRING AS A GRIZZLED BIKER IN A FILM CALLED
HELL’S ANGELS
, INSPIRED BY THE HISTORY OF THE FAMOUS MOTORCYCLE GANG, TO BE DIRECTED BY OLD FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE
T
ONY
S
COTT, FOR WHOM HE MAY ALSO STAR IN A CRIME DRAMA NAMED
POTSDAMER PLATZ
ABOUT A
N
EW
J
ERSEY GANGSTER FAMILY LOOKING TO EXPAND ITS EMPIRE INTERNATIONALLY.
O
THER PROJECTS HE HAS BEEN CIRCLING INCLUDE
BROKEN HORSES
, A
B
OLLYWOOD-MEETS-
H
OLLYWOOD GANGSTER DRAMA, AND THE BIOPIC
GENGHIS KHAN,
IN WHICH
M
ICKEY WOULD PLAY THE
M
ONGOLIAN WARRIOR.
A
ND HE HOPES TO ONE DAY FILM
WILD HORSES
, WHICH HAS TAKEN HIM THE PAST EIGHTEEN YEARS TO WRITE, ABOUT TWO LONG ESTRANGED BROTHERS TAKING A MOTOR BIKING TRIP TOGETHER.