Mickey Rourke’s decade of obscurity

Mickey Rourke is grateful for second chances, said Kevin Williamson in the Toronto Sun. After a rapid climb to stardom in the 1980s, Rourke blew up his career with years of drinking, angry outbursts, and erratic behavior, including a stint as a professional boxer that left his good looks ruined.

He spent much of the ’90s waiting for the phone to ring. “After seven years go by, you think, ‘Wow, I really f---ed up,’” says the actor, 59. “But then 10 years go by and you think they’re not going to let you in the door again,” he says. “I really thought I could turn it around in a year or two, but it just didn’t happen. I remember going to Sunset Boulevard and buying a pack of cigarettes, and some fat guy goes, ‘Hey, didn’t you used to be…?’ And he mentioned the wrong name.”

Rourke started seeing a psychologist 15 years ago, and credits therapy with helping him put his life and career back together. But he still doesn’t quite trust himself. “I’m very capable of having that happen again. I could f--- up tomorrow—easily—or in the next 10 minutes. I think it’s like a guy who gets out of jail. I had to change.”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up