Mickey Rourke was supposed to be one of Hollywood’s redemption stories.
The 72-year-old actor and former boxer was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2009, for his portrayal of Randy 'The Ram' Robinson in The Wrestler, in a performance that also won him a Bafta and a Golden Globe.
But his erratic behaviour on Celebrity Big Brother may have — once again — scuppered his reputation in the film industry.
‘I hit him’
Rourke had a successful career in the Eighties that included a star turn in erotic thriller 9 1/2 Weeks opposite Kim Basinger. But he was infamously fired from a major film in the Nineties for attacking a man accused of dealing heroin to his second wife Carré Otis.
“I hit him harder than anybody in my life,” Rourke told The Times. “He was out before he hit the ground. I hit an artery and there was a stream of blood that went 20ft into the air.”
In 1994, Rourke was charged for spousal battery, for allegedly slapping Otis, pushing her over and kicking her at their publicist’s office. Otis and Rourke divorced in 1998.
Rourke’s first wife, Debra Feuer, described her former husband as “jealous and controlling” and said his fame ignited a self-destructive streak. "Mickey was never violent towards me,” Feuer told The Mirror. "He would threaten other actors if he thought they were paying me too much attention but that was it.”
When Feuer was cast in To Live and Die in LA, she alleges Rourke “threatened my co-star Willem Dafoe” and director William Friedkin. “It was crazy.” she said. “[Rourke] was so insecure."
‘My career is in the toilet’
Rourke credited his comeback in the Noughties to years of intensive therapy.
“I was out of control, I was out of my mind. I had to lose my house, my wife, my money, my career, everything, for me to fall all the way down to the bottom,” Rourke told The London Standard. “Then somebody advised me I needed to talk to somebody. I resisted but I went, because everything was gone."
After The Wrestler, he received positive reviews for his role as villain Ivan Vanko in Iron Man 2. But in the intervening 15 year, Rourke’s career has faltered.
“My career is in the toilet,” Rourke candidly told The Sun before he entered the reality TV show. “I’m not getting A-list movies.”
The actor took responsibility for directors not wanting to work with him. According to reports in The Sun, Rourke “trashed the set” while filming his upcoming movie Wheels of Heaven.
“I’ve made mistakes, many. I have nobody to blame for my ship sinking except myself,” Rourke said. “There’s directors I want to work with and have them not be afraid of me and trust me for who I am today, not for the reputation I have.”
‘Stop looking at me’
The actor told The Sun he chose to enter the ITV reality show because he “had it up to here with really bad independent movies” and wanted to visit London.
“I know nothing about this show,” said Rourke. “I’m not worried — I don’t care about any bad habits I might have for the world to see.”
Celebrity Big Brother sees public figures be paid to compete in a surveillance-themed reality show. They become housemates in a purpose built house filled with cameras, with the public and fellow housemates voting on a person to be evicted each week.
Since the moment he was set to enter the Celebrity Big Brother House on Monday April 7, Rourke’s behaviour drew criticism and outrage.
When co-hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best introduced Rourke, the actor came up to Odudu, grabbed her by the waist and spun her round. Odudu commented on his “flirtatious” behaviour and asked him to “stop looking at me”. Viewers expressed their unhappiness with Rourke’s “creepy” behaviour on social media.
‘That’s homophobic’
Once inside the house, Rourke’s behaviour continued to cause issues.
After asking US singer Jojo Siwa about her sexuality, he told her “if I stay longer than four days, you won’t be gay any more.” Siwa identifies as pansexual and her partner Kath Ebbs is non-binary.
Rourke then told fellow contestant and former Love Islander Chris Hughes that he would “vote the lesbian out real quick”. When Siwa overheard she called the actor out, saying “that’s homophobic”.
The actor proceeded to comment that “I need a fag” and gestured to Siwa saying “I’m not talking to you”, before clarifying that he was using slang for a cigarette that doubles as a homophobic slur.
Rourke was then summoned to the Big Brother diary room where he received a formal warning. “Your language was offensive and unacceptable,” said the Big Brother voiceover. “Further language or behaviour of this nature could lead to you being removed from the Big Brother house.”
The actor said he was “just talking smack” and apologised to Siwa. “I’ve got a habit of having a short fuse, and I don’t mean nothing by it,” he told her.
‘Beyond disgusting’
Siwa’s partner Ebbs took to Instagram to slam Rourke’s behaviour. “Quite frankly it is beyond disgusting,” they said. “He's a pig and he is a dangerous person. I wouldn't want to be alone in a room with him.”
Rourke proceeded to break another Big Brother rule by attempting to cover up the cameras in the house and eschewing the communal bedroom to sleep on a sofa.
He also made unkind comments to EastEnders actress Patsy Palmer about her cooking, prompting her to break down in tears in the diary room.
Siwa used her killer nomination to attempt to vote Rourke out. The actor was nominated for the first eviction, alongside former Tory MP Sir Michael Fabricant and Coronation Street star Jack P Shepherd.
The public chose to vote out Fabricant, with Siwa’s mother expressing her unhappiness that her daughter would still be in the house with Rourke.
“I’m really sad,” Jessalyn Siwa said on Instagram. “I sent my kid [...] to a foreign country to do a TV show and she got treated like that right away, right out of the gate.”
‘He means well’
Rourke’s spokesperson Kimberly Hines gave a statement to US Weekly defending the 72-year-old’s behaviour. “Mickey speaks from his heart and means well,” said Hines.
“He is old school, direct and honest,” she added I have worked closely with him for nine years and he is 100 percent authentically himself. There will never be another Mickey Rourke. Period.”
Hines also defended Rourke to The Sun, suggesting that his age meant he was not up to date on “politically correct vocabulary”.
“He's not creepy. He's not pervy. He's not trying to offend gay people, lesbian people,” said Hines. “For him, he doesn't realize that now every word you say can and will be used against you. And that's just the way this world works now.”
The final hours
Having survived the first Friday night eviction, Rourke remained in the house with the rest of the contestants.
But it was soon confirmed that Rourke had been asked to leave the show following an incident filming a task on Saturday 12 April.
“Mickey Rourke has agreed to leave the Celebrity Big Brother House this evening following a discussion with Big Brother regarding further use of inappropriate language and instances of unacceptable behaviour,” said an ITV spokesperson.
Rourke and Hughes, who had previously defended Siwa, were filming together when Rourke reportedly used behaviour and language that was considered to be threatening and aggressive. There was no physical altercation.
Fabricant has since commented that he knew Rourke was looking for an exit, saying the actor wanted to leave the house “on day one”.
Rourke had previously confided to Hughes that Covid and the actor’s strike had left him struggling financially. “I had to borrow half a million dollars from the bank to get by and pay bills,” said the actor.
Rourke was reportedly due to be paid £500,000 by ITV for appearing on the show, but that fee is now in doubt over his exit.
Mickey Rourke has been approached for comment.
Celebrity Big Brother airs at 10pm tonight on ITV