Mickey Rourke is spending a lot of time in the UK , most likely working on preparations for his movie about Gareth Thomas. Mickey will star as the first rugby player to come out of the closet in 2009. Macho Thomas was tormented by his secret and even and married his childhood sweetheart before admitting he was gay. Although Thomas is 6’3” and 21 years younger than Mickey, he says “He’s the perfect person to play me.” Mickey and Gareth have had several long meetings about the role. Gareth stubbornly insisted on Mickey although “Gays want someone hotter.” Thomas feels Mickey has the right sensitivity for the part.
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Attempting to portray someone currently 21 years your junior takes guts, I’ll say that much.
Rick, more like when the plastic surgeon yanked back Mickey’s face he pulled it too tight causing his brain to swell because there is no way in hell Mickey Rourke would be believable as this guy. As W.C. Fields was fond of saying “close, but no cigar.”
PS: I doubt he could convincingly pull off a 50-year-old character, let alone one half his age.
are you really sure he hasn’t got Cancer?
“Gays want someone hotter”. Isn’t this like Aretha Franklin wanting Halle Berry to play her in a movie? Shouldn’t the focus of the film be on this guy’s life and the difficulties faced when he came out, and not be gay porn?
The whole rationale strikes me as weird Denise. Is he also implying that he thinks only gays will be interested in watching a movie about a sports star who happens to be gay?
That said, the more I think about it, the more I don’t think Mickey is right for the part, but not for hotness reasons. Mickey is decades older than him, and that matters a lot in this instance because he’s well beyond professional playing age.
It seems to me, if Mickey were indeed the one chosen to play this guy, that no attempt whatsoever had been made to actually find an actor who could embody the true person, which would be a shame. I’m not familiar with Mr. Thomas, but it sounds like if it were done correctly it could indeed be a compelling movie, and not, as Rick points out, only appealing to gays. The rest of us like a good story too, and there are a lot of people who really don’t give a shit what his sexuality is, and are just glad he can live his life in acceptance. Good for him.
Also regarding the age difference, I work with a former rugby player, and aside from the “hotness”, and although he played The Wrestler very well, no way would Mickey Rourke be able to film any rugby sequences.
I feel a little sorry for Mickey. He had a very bad facial surgery and a very sad childhood and youth. He was subject to mental and physical abuse, mostly mental.
1. Bravo to Gareth for coming out…he’ll be happier as a result! 🙂 a rugby player like him will get all sorts of hot dudes! WOOF! 2. If Gareth and Mickey got together to chat about the role and Gareth saw Mickey as the perfect portrayal, who are any of you to question the reasoning behind it, whatever your reasons may be?