Congratulations to Mickey Rourke on his “comeback” that culminated in an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. It’s well deserved, but if we read one more time how Darren Aronofsky brought Mickey Rourke back from the dead we may involuntarily throw up all over ourselves. Aronofsky, a fine director, did no such thing. What he did was actively hire Rourke for a lead role he knew he would be well suited for and his instincts paid off, but Rourke’s been back in Hollywood for a good 8 years now and the first people who actually took a chance on him were many.
Francis Ford Coppola gave him a supporting shot in “The Rainmaker” in 1997. Vincent Gallo also gave him a role in 1998’s “Buffalo ’66. Early aught roles include Sean Penn’s “The Pledge”(2001) and Sylvester Stallone’s remake of “Get Carter” (2000), which Rourke himself credits as a big deal (it’s apparently one of the reasons he wants to appear in “The Expendables” – to payback his buddy Stallone).
Rourke had a pretty significant role in Terrence Malick’s “The Thin Red Line” in 1998, and like many other actors (Adrien Brody, John C. Reilly), was left on the cutting room floor (Rourke apparently still holds a grudge, he thought it was some of the greatest work he ever did). In 2002 Rourke had a pretty sizable role as a a crystal meth cook in Jonas Akerlund’s “Spun,” and then in 2003 and 2004, he started working with Robert Rodriguez and Tony Scott in supporting roles again (“Once Upon A Time In Mexico,” wherein he held his own Chihuahua in the film – we know how much he loves those furry things – and “Man On Fire,” respectively).
In 2005, Rodriguez, a big fan of Rourke’s 80s films, cast him as one of the principal leads in “Sin City.” The actor received awards from the Chicago Film Critics Association, the IFTA and the Online Film Critics Society, as well as “Man of the Year” from Total Film magazine that year. Following that, Rourke has a sizable bounty hunter role in Scott’s “Domino” (also 2005).
It could have even begun, even earlier. In 1994, Quentin Tarantino offered Rourke the part of the Boxer Butch Coolidge in “Pulp Fiction” that eventually went to Bruce Willis, because Rourke not-so wisely turned it down.
So yes, Aronofsky gave him a leading role shot and that hard work led to major press attention and eventually to an Oscar nomination (and possibly a win too), amazing, we’re all happy for both of them, they both deserve it, sincerely, but at least give some credit where credit is due. Others paved the way for Rourke to be even considered for a lead role and gave him sizable lead roles at that. That’s all. As you were.