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Mickey Rourke is not impressed with Tom Cruise’s billion dollar career. In an interview with Piers Morgan, Rourke spoke candidly about acting, mentioning some of the careers he wanted to model his after. He made it clear that he wasn’t interested in Tom Cruise’s success record.
Rourke’s comments aired on “Piers Morgan Uncensored.” When Morgan mentioned Cruise’s career and the fact that he was currently at the top of the box office, Rourke was quick to share his opinion. “That doesn’t mean shit to me,” he said. “The guy’s been doing the same f-ing part for 35 years. I got no respect for that.” Like Rourke, Tom Cruise is an actor that made debut in the ‘80s. “Top Gun: Maverick” being a direct sequel to one of Cruise’s first and most iconic roles.
“You don’t think Tom Cruise is a good actor?,” asked Morgan. “I think he’s irrelevant, in my world,” said Rourke, who then listed out some of the actors that inspire his work. “I don’t care about money and power. I care about when I watch Al Pacino work and Chris Walken and De Niro’s early work and Richard Harris’ work and Ray Winstone’s work. That’s the kind of actor I want to be like. Monty Clift and Brando back in the day.”
Mickey Rourke has been consistently making movies over the past two decades, although a large bulk of his recent work hasn’t amassed much notoriety or critical acclaim. In 2008, he was nominated for an Oscar for his work in “The Wrestler,” a performance that revitalized his career for a few years and that faciliated a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He wasn’t a fan of his experience.
“I explained to [director Jon] Favreau that I wanted to bring some other layers and colors, not just make this Russian a complete murderous revenging bad guy,” said Rourke of the role according to a Vulture expose. “And they allowed me to do that. Unfortunately, the [people] at Marvel just wanted a one-dimensional bad guy, so most of the performance ended up [on] the floor.”
Rourke’s has appeared in iconic movies like “Angel Heart” and “9 ½ weeks.” He currently has 11 projects in the works, including a horror film with Lindsay Lohan that’s currently in pre-production.