Mickey Rourke (7 page)

A
NOTHER BLACK MARK AGAINST THE MOVIE WAS THE SCALE OF ANIMAL ABUSE THAT TOOK PLACE DURING PRODUCTION.
A
T LEAST FOUR ANIMALS REPORTEDLY DIED ON SET IN A FILM THAT FEATURED HORSE TORTURE, COCKFIGHTS, AND CHICKEN DECAPITATION.
T
HE OUTCRY PROMPTED NEW RULES IN
H
OLLYWOOD, WITH THE
A
MERICAN
H
UMANE
S
OCIETY BROUGHT IN THEREAFTER TO MONITOR THE USE AND TREATMENT OF ANIMALS IN ALL
US
FILMS AND
TV
SHOWS.

M
ICKEY MAKES ONLY A BLINK-AND-YOU’LL-MISS-HIM APPEARANCE IN THE FINAL CUT OF
HEAVEN’S GATE
BUT THE EXPERIENCE AT LEAST GAVE HIM TIME TO GET TO KNOW
W
ALKEN AND
C
IMINO, BOTH OF WHOM HE WOULD GO ON TO WORK WITH IN FUTURE AND IN MORE ENTERTAINING FILMS.

M
ICKEY THEN LANDED HIS FIRST NOTABLE FILM ROLE IN STEAMY THRILLER
BODY HEAT
(1981), PLAYING A CHARISMATIC CRIMINAL IN JUST A COUPLE OF SCENES BUT STEALING THE MOVIE FROM ITS STARS,
W
ILLIAM
H
URT AND Kathleen Turner. Director Lawrence Kasdan was looking for a young Robert De Niro and, when Mickey read for the role, it was as though the heir to that great actor had suddenly emerged.

BODY HEAT
SEES
H
URT’S CHARACTER, A LAWYER, PLOTTING TO KILL HIS LOVER’S HUSBAND AND GOING TO SEE A CLIENT, SOFT-SPOKEN ARSONIST
T
EDDY
L
EWIS, FOR ADVICE ON HOW TO DO THE DEED.
W
HEN
M
ICKEY, AS
L
EWIS, DESCRIBES HOW TO SET A FIRE, HE CONVEYS EVERYTHING THROUGH A QUIET STILLNESS, LEANING IN CLOSE, STARING THOUGHTFULLY AND LOWERING HIS VOICE AS HE WARNS HIS LAWYER TO RECONSIDER WHAT HE’S DOING.
I
T WAS THE FIRST OF MANY BAD BOYS WITH A CONSCIENCE HE WOULD PLAY DOWN THE YEARS.
M
ICKEY’S NOW FAMILIAR MANNERISMS AND SCORCHING TALENT WERE ALL ON SHOW.
T
HE FILM ALSO MARKED THE START OF HIS LONG CAREER OF SAYING “FUCK” ON SCREEN.

M
ANY CRITICS PRAISED HIS WORK IN THEIR REVIEWS OF
BODY HEAT
AND
H
OLLYWOOD SAT UP AND TOOK NOTICE OF THE NEWCOMER.
T
HE
J
AMES
D
EAN COMPARISONS STARTED, BUT
M
ICKEY, WITH HIS HALTING DELIVERY OF LINES, WAS MORE OF A REBEL WITH A PAUSE.

N
OW
M
ICKEY COULD QUIT HIS JOB AT THE TRANSVESTITE CLUB AND SIFT THROUGH THE FILM OFFERS THAT STARTED TO COME IN AS LEADING MOVIEMAKERS CLAMORED TO WORK WITH HIM.
L
AWRENCE
K
ASDAN OFFERED
M
ICKEY A ROLE IN HIS NEXT FILM,
THE BIG CHILL
, BUT WAS TURNED DOWN BECAUSE THE ACTOR DIDN’T WANT TO DO A FILM ABOUT “A WHOLE BUNCH OF YUPPIES.”
I
NSTEAD,
M
ICKEY SIGNED UP FOR THE COMEDY-DRAMA
DINER
(1982), FOR WHICH WRITER-DIRECTOR
B
ARRY
L
EVINSON ASSEMBLED A CAST OF UNKNOWNS WITH THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME BIG STARS.

L
EVINSON CLEARLY KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING BECAUSE HIS OTHER CASTING CHOICES INCLUDED
K
EVIN
B
ACON AND
S
TEVE
G
UTTENBERG, AS WELL AS
E
LLEN
B
ARKIN, WHO HAD GONE TO THE SAME HIGH SCHOOL IN
M
IAMI AS
M
ICKEY BUT HAD NOT KNOWN HIM BACK THEN.
M
ICKEY WAS EASILY THE BEST OF THE BUNCH, SHOWING A MIX OF TOUGHNESS AND VULNERABILITY AS GIRL-CHASING HAIRDRESSER
B
OOGIE
S
HEFTELL.

S
ET IN 1959, THE MOVIE FOLLOWS A GROUP OF LONGTIME FRIENDS WHO MEET UP AT A
B
ALTIMORE DINER TO DISCUSS GIRLS, GAMBLING, AND LIFE IN GENERAL, COURTESY OF SOME SHARP, FUNNY DIALOGUE FROM
L
EVINSON, WHO WOULD GO ON TO DIRECT
GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM
AND
RAIN MAN
.
T
HE
B
ALTIMORE DINER USED IN THE FILM WAS A REAL ONE, NOT A SET, BUT IS NO LONGER IN BUSINESS, HAVING RE-OPENED TWENTY YEARS LATER AS A JOB TRAINING CENTER FOR DISADVANTAGED YOUTHS.
L
EVINSON BASED THE SCRIPT ON THE KIND OF PALS HE HAD HUNG OUT WITH WHILE GROWING UP.
T
HEY CERTAINLY WEREN’T THE KIND
M
ICKEY HAD GROWN UP AROUND – HE WOULD HAVE FOUND THEM ALL TOO BORING FOR HIS TASTE.
B
UT HIS ROLE AS
B
OOGIE WAS A GOOD ONE AND
M
ICKEY REALLY SHONE IN HIS FIRST SUBSTANTIAL FILM APPEARANCE, SHOWCASING A SWEET SMILE AND A CHEEKY CHARM AS THE SMOOTH TALKING SKIRT-CHASER.

DINER
IS BEST REMEMBERED FOR THE SCENE IN WHICH
B
OOGIE BETS HIS PALS THAT HE CAN GET A BEAUTIFUL BLONDE TO TOUCH HIS “PECKER” ON THEIR FIRST DATE AT A CINEMA.
H
E WINS THE BET BY STICKING IT IN THE BOTTOM OF THE POPCORN BOX ON HIS LAP AND GIVING HER THE SHOCK OF HER LIFE WHEN SHE REACHES IN TO GRAB A HANDFUL.
M
ICKEY’S REAL ACTING GENIUS, THOUGH, COMES IN THE NEXT SCENE WHERE HE CONVINCES THE STARTLED BIMBO TO FORGIVE HIM BY SPINNING HER A TALL TALE THAT IT WAS ALL AN INNOCENT ACCIDENT CAUSED WHEN HIS EXCITEMENT AT SITTING NEXT TO HER GOT THE BETTER OF HIM.

W
HILE HIS ACTING INSTINCTS WERE SPOT ON, THE SAME COULDN’T BE SAID FOR HIS MAKE-UP CHOICES.
O
N
DINER
,
M
ICKEY INSISTED ON DOING HIS OWN EYE MAKE-UP – BECAUSE
C
HRISTOPHER
W
ALKEN HAD ONCE TOLD HIM THAT’S WHAT HE ALWAYS DID.
S
O
M
ICKEY PULLED OUT HIS OWN MAKE-UP KIT AND SET TO WORK.
T
HE ODD RESULTS CAN BE SEEN IN VARIOUS SCENES.
E
VENTUALLY, THE DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY PULLED HIM ASIDE ONE DAY AND TOLD HIM TO LET THE PROFESSIONALS DO IT INSTEAD, SAYING, “
L
ISTEN, WE’RE NOT DOING
DRACULA.
”

A
S GOOD AS HE WAS IN THE FILM,
M
ICKEY WASN’T ESPECIALLY WILD AT THE TIME ABOUT
DINER
OR ANY OF HIS COLLEAGUES.
B
UT HE WAS ENTHUSIASTIC TO BE TEAMING UP WITH
N
ICOLAS
R
OEG, A DIRECTOR HE GREATLY ADMIRED, ON HIS NEXT FILM,
EUREKA
(1983).
M
ICKEY HAD ALWAYS GONE TO
R
OEG FILMS, SUCH AS
DON’T LOOK NOW
AND
THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH
, ON THE FIRST DAY THEY CAME OUT.
S
O HE JUMPED AT THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK ON THE MOVIEMAKER’S LATEST COMPLEX DRAMA, ESPECIALLY AS PART OF THE FILMING WAS TO BE DONE IN
J
AMAICA, WHICH SOUNDED LIKE A GREAT PLACE TO COMBINE BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE.

EUREKA
IS THE STORY OF A TROUBLED BILLIONAIRE, PLAYED BY
G
ENE
H
ACKMAN, BATTLING MOBSTERS WHO WANT TO OPEN A CASINO ON THE
C
ARIBBEAN ISLAND HE OWNS.
M
ICKEY, IN THICK-RIMMED GLASSES AND WITH SLICKED BACK HAIR, PLAYS
A
URELIO
D
’
A
MATO, A LAWYER WORKING FOR A
M
AFIA BOSS, WHO HAS BEEN SENT ROUND TO MAKE THE TYCOON AN OFFER HE CAN’T REFUSE.
M
ICKEY DIDN’T CARE FOR THE PART, BUT DID ENJOY BEING AROUND
R
OEG AND WAS AMUSED WHEN THE DIRECTOR WOULD ANGER SOME OF THE OTHER ACTORS BY TELLING THEM HOW TO SAY THEIR LINES PROPERLY.
I
N THE END, FEW PEOPLE ENDED UP SEEING
EUREKA
, WHICH OPENED IN ONLY A HANDFUL OF CINEMAS AROUND THE WORLD BEFORE QUICKLY DISAPPEARING.

M
ICKEY THEN FOUND A ROLE TO SINK HIS TEETH INTO WITH
RUMBLE
FISH
(1983),
F
RANCIS
F
ORD
C
OPPOLA’S VISUALLY STUNNING ADAPTATION OF THE
S
USIE
H
INTON NOVEL ABOUT TROUBLED YOUTHS IN
T
ULSA.
A
HUGE FAN OF THE DIRECTOR’S MASTERPIECE
THE GODFATHER
,
M
ICKEY HAD EAGERLY AUDITIONED FOR A ROLE IN
C
OPPOLA’S PREVIOUS FILM,
THE OUTSIDERS
, AND WHILE HE HADN’T BEEN RIGHT FOR THAT ONE – HE WAS TOO OLD FOR A FILM ABOUT TEENAGE GANGS – THE DIRECTOR WAS HUGELY IMPRESSED WITH THE NEWCOMER AND DECIDED TO CAST HIM AS THE ENIGMATIC OLDER BROTHER,
M
OTORCYCLE
B
OY, IN HIS NEXT PICTURE.

M
ICKEY WAS SO GRATEFUL AND DETERMINED TO PLEASE
C
OPPOLA THAT HE RESOLVED TO GIVE THE PERFORMANCE EVERYTHING HE HAD.
H
IS DEDICATION TO CERTAIN ROLES FIRST SHOWED ITSELF ON THIS FILM.
T
O PREPARE FOR PLAYING SUCH A WEIRD CHARACTER,
M
ICKEY DYED HIS HAIR RED AND WORE BRIGHT GREEN CONTACT LENSES – EVEN THOUGH THE MOVIE WAS SHOT IN BLACK AND WHITE.
W
HAT IMPRESSED
C
OPPOLA MORE WAS THE SUBTLE WAY
M
ICKEY MANAGED TO MAKE HIS CHARACTER SO CHARISMATIC DESPITE HAVING FEW LINES.
I
T WAS ALL DUE TO AN ACTING TECHNIQUE HE HAD NEVER WITNESSED BEFORE OR SINCE.

E
ACH DAY,
M
ICKEY WOULD COME TO HIM WITH AN OBJECT, SUCH AS A RING, A STONE, OR SOME OTHER AMULET, SHOW IT TO THE DIRECTOR, AND THEN PUT IT IN HIS POCKET.
F
OR THE REST OF THE DAY WHILE FILMING SCENES, HE WOULD FOCUS HIS THOUGHTS ON THE OBJECT IN HIS POCKET RATHER THAN ON THE LINES HE WAS SAYING OR WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE SCENE.
T
HAT APPROACH MOST LIKELY CAME FROM READING SOME ADVICE ABOUT ACTING FOR THE SCREEN ONCE GIVEN BY
M
ARLON
B
RANDO WHO SAID, “
Y
OU CAN’T CARE OR THEY’LL SEE IT IN YOUR FACE.”
I
N OTHER WORDS, IF THE ACTOR IS CONCENTRATING ON SOMETHING ELSE, RATHER THAN THE ACTION IN THE SCENE, THEN THE PERFORMANCE WILL FEEL MORE NATURAL BECAUSE, IN REAL LIFE, PEOPLE ARE SO OFTEN DOING ONE THING while thinking about something else.

M
ICKEY’S PART GAVE HIM PLENTY TO THINK ABOUT, AND A LOT TO RELATE TO AS
M
OTORCYCLE
B
OY HAS AN ALCOHOLIC FATHER, A YOUNGER BROTHER HE ADORES, AND RESENTS HIS MOTHER FOR MOVING AWAY WHEN HE WAS VERY YOUNG.
W
HILE THE FILM WAS BEING MADE IN
T
ULSA,
M
ICKEY RECEIVED THE DEVASTATING NEWS THAT HIS BROTHER HAD BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER – THE FIRST OF MANY BOUTS
J
OEY WOULD HAVE WITH THE DISEASE.

T
O FURTHER PERSONALIZE THE PERFORMANCE, THE PHOTOGRAPH
M
ICKEY’S CHARACTER USES AS A BOOKMARK – WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO SHOW
M
OTORCYCLE
B
OY AS A TODDLER WITH A PROTECTIVE ARM AROUND HIS BROTHER WHEN HE WAS A BABY – WAS ACTUALLY AN OLD PHOTO OF
M
ICKEY AND
J
OEY
R
OURKE.
I
T CAN BE SEEN IN CLOSE-UP AT ONE POINT IN THE MOVIE.

T
HE BOND OF BROTHERS WAS WHAT APPEALED MOST TO
F
RANCIS
F
ORD
C
OPPOLA ABOUT THE STORY.
H
E HAD ALWAYS LOOKED UP TO HIS OWN DAPPER AND HANDSOME OLDER BROTHER,
A
UGUST, TO WHOM THE FILM IS DEDICATED.
RUMBLE FISH
MARKS THE MOVIE ACTING DEBUT OF
A
UGUST’S SON,
N
ICOLAS
C
AGE – OR
N
ICOLAS
C
OPPOLA, AS HE WAS THEN CREDITED – WHO PLAYS TOUGH GUY
S
MOKY AND WEARS ONE OF HIS DAD’S OLD JACKETS IN THE FILM.

A
SIDE FROM
C
AGE, THE MOVIE FEATURED SEVERAL OTHER YOUNG CAST MEMBERS WHO WOULD GO ON TO BIG THINGS –
D
IANE
L
ANE,
L
ARRY
F
ISHBURNE, AND, IN THE ROLE OF
M
OTORCYCLE
B
OY’S YOUNGER BROTHER
R
USTY
J
AMES,
M
ATT
D
ILLON.
B
UT IT’S
M
ICKEY WHO STANDS OUT FROM THE PACK, NOT JUST FOR HIS WORLD-WEARY PERFORMANCE BUT FOR HIS LOOK, TOO.
I
NSTEAD OF WEARING THE TRADITIONAL MOODY MOVIE BIKER OUTFIT OF BLACK LEATHER, HIS CHARACTER DRESSES IN A VERY DIFFERENT, MORE SOPHISTICATED WAY, A LOOK
C
OPPOLA SAYS WAS INSPIRED BY THE
F
RENCH PHILOSOPHER
A
LBERT
C
AMUS.
H
E HAD GIVEN
M
ICKEY SOME
C
AMUS NOVELS AND A BIOGRAPHY OF
N
APOLEON TO HELP HIM PREPARE FOR THE ROLE.

B
ECAUSE
M
OTORCYCLE
B
OY IS COLOR-BLIND, THE MOVIE IS SHOT ALMOST ENTIRELY IN BLACK AND WHITE.
T
HE ONLY COLOR IN THE FILM IS PROVIDED BY THE TWO EXOTIC FISH WHICH GIVE THE MOVIE ITS TITLE.
I
F YOU PUT TWO
R
UMBLE
F
ISH – OR
S
IAMESE
F
IGHTING
F
ISH – IN THE SAME TANK THEY WILL FIGHT UNTIL ONE KILLS THE OTHER.
M
ICKEY’S CHARACTER IS KILLED AT THE END – THE FIRST OF MANY TIMES HE WOULD DIE IN THE CLOSING MOMENTS OF MOVIES – AFTER HE AND HIS BROTHER FREE THE FISH AND ALL THE OTHER PETS FROM A PET SHOP.