60th anniversary of the “fallen angel” Mickey Rourke

September 16, 2012 marks the 60th anniversary of Mickey Rourke, a brawler and rowdy, a rebel and an outsider, a biker, a boxer, and also one of the most talented actors of our time.

By Rourke’s own admission, at children’s Christmas parties, he, the golden-haired boy, always got the roles of cute angels. The harsh reality quickly made its adjustments. Endless conflicts with his tyrant stepfather, the mean streets of Miami and the boxing ring, the first entry into which took place at the age of twelve, formed a cool and violent disposition in young Rourke. The unexpected dream of an acting career required a fair amount of willpower and endurance of character: in order to pay for expensive studies, Rourke took on any job, from a cleaner to a club bouncer, and starved for weeks, surviving “on candy alone.” Much later, having become a celebrity, the actor will win back his lost childhood and the difficult years of his early career with endless, reckless revelry.

Rourke's creative destiny resembles a broken line. At times he was perhaps the highest paid actor in Hollywood, but then became persona non grata in cinematic circles. At the peak of his career, Rourke defiantly starred only in those films that fit his idea of ​​“real cinema,” and later was content with episodic roles in third-rate horror films. He repeatedly tried to leave cinema, ran away from the hated Hollywood conveyor belt, either to the professional boxing ring, or to an alcoholic and drug binge, or to join the company of street vagabonds. But each time, the actor invariably prevailed in Rourke's racing mind, and he returned to the screen. It is important that in any situation Rourke remained the master of his position. He himself built his career from scratch, he himself destroyed it, and then from scratch, painfully, piece by piece, he put it back together again, and again, and again.



Mickey Rourke never knew anything about holding back. While playing, he used to get so accustomed to the role that he brought himself to a pre-infarction state. In the boxing ring, he did not so much engage in sports as drown out despair, did not fight, but killed. While arguing with his beloved, he became so angry that he cut off his own fingers. And his drinking sessions, invariably with fights, scandals, hysterics and all kinds of debauchery, are legendary. It is no coincidence that the actor is loved so much in Russia, and is put on a par with the “mischievous reveler” Sergei Yesenin, “their boyfriend” Vladimir Vysotsky and the “poet of tragic fun” Boris Ryzhiy. Especially witty people consider Rourke to be the only modern actor who rightfully deserves the title of People's Artist of the Russian Federation. His broken character, brave prowess and universal melancholy in his eyes seem too Russian, not foreign at all.



Outwardly, especially recently, resembling a block of stone, relaxed and extravagant in public, Rourke, according to his ex-wife, is in fact “terribly vulnerable,” sensitive, suffering from an innumerable number of phobias. However, the actor himself confirms this, sometimes admitting in interviews, for example, that “it is important for him to be loved.” Directors who worked with Rourke describe him as an “outstanding actor” and a charming, “nice person.” Journalists note that he is one of that rare breed of stars who “think before answering a question.”

Of course, for most, Rourke was and remains the personification of either a “bad guy” or a sex symbol. The actor himself once disliked these images of himself, and tried with all his might to overcome them. Thanks to which, for example, in the same year he could be seen as a tempting serpent in “Wild Orchid” (1989) and a medieval blessed one in “Francis” (1989).



The list of directors who appreciated Rourke's talent is impressive: Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Cimino and Barry Levinson, Alan Parker and Tony Scott, Barbette Schroeder and Liliana Cavani, Robert Rodriguez and Darren Aronofsky worked with him. Accordingly, Rourke’s filmography is distinguished by its enviable diversity for his colleagues. The actor's range of roles ranges from lovers to psychopaths, from repentant terrorists to desperate servants of the law, from reckless playmakers to selfless saints. At the same time, all his images are united by one detail: these are images of superfluous people, outcasts, cognizing some higher truth, and therefore unable to live like everyone else. His heroes, offensively, often lose the battle with life, probably because they know this life too well. Rourke also studied life inside and out and, it seems, encountered all the quirks that fate can throw at a person. And so far life has not managed to break the actor. Moreover, according to Rourke, his best roles are yet to come. Well, judging by the artist’s recent increased activity, he is thoroughly preparing for these roles.



The ten best roles of Mickey Rourke according to... Mickey Rourke himself:

01 . The role of a colorblind motorcyclist in the film " Rumble Fish " (Francis Ford Coppola, 1983)


“In “Rumble Fish” there was a lot in common with my life, with my brotherly creature... “Rumble Fish” was a completely new film, there was nothing like it before. A very symbolic and mystical picture .”

02 . The role of an unlucky burglar in the film " The Pope of Greenwich Village " (Stuart Rosenberg, 1984)


"I remember reading Vincent Patrick's novel three or four times before I met the producer because I really liked it. And I think Eric Roberts, who played my friend in the film, is the best actor I know. I got the greatest pleasure from filming this film and it was one of the happiest periods of my life ."

03 . The role of a private detective in the film " Angel Heart " (Alan Parker, 1987)


" Alan Parker was very enthusiastic about working on this film. And he managed to convey this enthusiasm to me... The script was so confused with all sorts of side plot lines that at some point I had to ask Alan who exactly I was playing ."

04 . The role of an incorrigible alcoholic, the alter ego of Charles Bukowski in the film " The Drunk " (Barbet Schroeder, 1987)


“After I starred in the movie Drunk, it seemed to me that I would no longer be able to act, either mentally or physically. I was broken. Not by drinking or drugs, I was broken mentally and, to some extent, broken... I'm not a fan of Bukowski. Drinking killed my father when he was young. Personally, I get a hangover once a month, so I can play all these sloppy, difficult guys, but in reality I'm not like that ."

05 . The role of the medieval Saint Francis of Assisi in the film " Francis " (Liliana Cavani, 1989)


“I like my role in “Francis”, Liliana Cavani is perhaps the only one who gave me the opportunity to play something other than myself... I was constantly offered to play myself: a boxer, a biker or a drug addict. “Francis” was the only film in which I left from the usual role ."

06-07 . The role of a seducer in the film " Wild Orchid " (Zalman King, 1989) and a psychopath in the film " Desperate Hours " (Michael Cimino, 1990)


"... two Malinas are especially valuable to me, as the worst actor of the year. I think the worst actor is better than the best, because he didn’t pretend, didn’t try to portray himself as a moron invented by the screenwriter. From the worst and the best, I always choose the worst, and I I always worry about the bad ones in films. For the last nine years I have not been able to become the worst, however, I have not lost hope ."

08 . The role of a criminal and a drug addict in the film " Bullet " (Julien Temple, 1996)


" Before I met Tupac, I thought - and it was funny - that I had never met anyone who was in the bad guy category like me. And I thought I had finally met someone , a little like me... There was something unspoken that only two friends could feel and understand. Working with Tupac was fucking cool. I looked at him and thought: “Yeah, this motherfucker will point a gun at me. pulls the trigger and doesn't blink."

09 . The role of the touching thug Marv in the film " Sin City " (Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller, Quentin Tarantino, 2005)


"Marv - my role in the movie "Sin City" - a madman who killed his girlfriend. I wanted everything to be different. Marv cannot be controlled. If they looked at him sideways, he would rush into a fight. That was me myself. Every day It's a lot of stress for me , because, you know, Marv lives inside me. I'm trying to keep him in my hands, otherwise he'll pop out again, and I'll do a lot of trouble. I'm lucky that I got another chance in life. worked very hard to change. It took seven to eight years ."

10 . The role of an aging wrestler in the film " The Wrestler " (Darren Aronofsky, 2008)


“The Wrestler has many parallels with my life: a turbulent youth fading into oblivion, a feeling of insignificance and wasted time, a feeling of loss and shame. It was the most difficult film for me - and the best film I have ever acted in .” .