ITALY: Mickey Rourke arrives at the premiere of "The Wrestler" at the Venice Film Festival
Record ID:
219664
ITALY: Mickey Rourke arrives at the premiere of "The Wrestler" at the Venice Film Festival
- Title: ITALY: Mickey Rourke arrives at the premiere of "The Wrestler" at the Venice Film Festival
- Date: 11th September 2008
- Summary: VENICE LIDO, ITALY (SEPTEMBER 5, 2008) (REUTERS) ACTOR MICKEY ROURKE EMERGING FROM CAR FOR THE PREMIERE OF 'THE WRESTLER' ROURKE MEETING FANS ROURKE SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS ACTRESS EVAN RACHEL WOOD ARRIVING AT RED CARPET PHOTOGRAPHERS WOOD SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS WOOD POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS WOOD AND ROURKE POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS
- Embargoed: 26th September 2008 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Italy
- Country: Italy
- Reuters ID: LVAALJYVE0NFHDSEA9MIGFJICXRV
- Story Text: Actor Mickey Rourke on Friday (September 5) arrived at the premiere of "The Wrestler" at the Venice film festival.
Rourke seals his comeback with a critically acclaimed performance as a lonely, washed out wrestler whose life painfully echoes that of the troubled Hollywood outsider.
"The Wrestler" is directed by Darren Aronofsky and is the last of 21 films in the main competition to premiere at the 2008 Venice film festival.
Although a latecomer, the moving story of a man's personal isolation and professional decline was immediately singled out as a favourite for the Golden Lion award for best film and the best actor prize for Rourke.
Rourke, who spent much of the last 15 years in the acting wilderness with a reputation for being difficult and volatile on set, named his physically and emotionally challenging performance in "The Wrestler"
as his best yet.
"People for the last 15, 20 years would say, 'What's the favourite movie you've ever done, what's your best work?'" Rourke told Reuters in an interview in Venice earlier on Friday.
"And I would say: 'I haven't made it yet.' And I can honestly say right now, the best fucking movie I've ever made is this," added the actor, who online biographies say is 51.
Rourke trained hard in a Miami gym to put on the bulk required for the part. He also worked with professional wrestlers for scenes in the ring, a task complicated by the fact that he is a trained boxer.
The parallels between Rourke's troubled private life and checkered professional past and the trials of his character Randy "The Ram"
Robinson will not be lost on audiences.
"Because of the way I work, I go to those places, go into places where I have to tap into some painful shit about my father, my wife, my brother," said Rourke, his face marked by the surgery he has had for various fighting injuries.
For Aronofsky, Venice was a brave choice as launching pad for "The Wrestler" after his previous picture "The Fountain" received a cool reaction in the canal city in 2006.
He need have no worries in 2008, however, with early reviews raving about the new movie.
"Rourke creates a galvanizing, humorous, deeply moving portrait that instantly takes its place among the great, iconic screen performances," wrote Todd McCarthy in Variety. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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