Posted on 08/25/2009 12:52:10 PM PDT by NYer
.- Famed Hollywood actor Mickey Rourke, who was at the Sarajevo Film Festival last week, told a Bosnian newspaper that he thanks God and his Catholic faith for giving him a “second chance” in life to overcome his addictions, which almost led him to commit suicide.
Speaking to the Bosnian daily “Avaz,” Rourke said, “God gave me a second chance in life and I thank Him.”
Rourke achieved fame in the 80s with action films and erotic thrillers. At the beginning of the 90s he left film for boxing and fell into heavy drug and alcohol addiction.
According to the newspaper, during the most difficult moments of his life, his psychiatrist and his priest were his best friends.
“When you fall people push you down even more. The world is full of materialism and envy. When you are famous and you fall, people don’t want you to come back. It is almost impossible to come back. It’s hard enough the first time, but the second time it’s like you don’t even exist …God gave me a second chance, the guy upstairs helped me out,” he said.
Several years ago Rourke began his return to the big screen and this year he won his first Golden Globe Award for the film “The Wrestler.” Rourke was also an Oscar favorite.
Now, he says, he doesn’t think about Hollywood much. “I don’t care about Hollywood and what the people of Hollywood think. I don’t think about how it works because I simply don’t care. I don’t even dream about it.”
In 2005, when he began to land bigger roles in films, he revealed to a magazine that he was meeting often with his pastor in New York and was on the verge of suicide. “If I weren’t Catholic I would have blown my brains out,” he said.
Anyone see the film, The Wrestler? I heard he was great in that.
Reminiscent of Fr. Corapi's story.
I saw it. He was great.
The Wrestler is very good. Rent it.
The Wrestler was a great movie. I recommend it. I don’t know why, but I find myself pulling for Mickey Rourke. He has battled his demons, but seems to give thanks where it’s due.
I love stories like this.
And I’m fond of Corapi. He’d make a great evangelical preacher. :)
Thought The Wrestler was a very good film (although brutal in parts).
Thought Rourke deserved the award for best actor as well.
saw it - liked it. It’s a little ‘low-budget’ for main-stream and it is raunchy (Marisa Tomei - is that a bad thing?) It is a brutally realistic film I’ve recomended to others.
the Wrestler is a masterpiece. Seriously...it’s amazing. not for everyone, but if you like that genre, it’s amazing.
“9 1/2 Weeks” is probably his best known mainstream film. I was a teenager when it came out and snuck in to to see it (Rated R) Wow. It opened my eyes...lol.
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1399359488/tt0091635
...Definately deserved the Oscar instead of Sean Penn.
Good film. I’m not so impressed with movies these days, but this one has scenes that probably will stick in your mind. I won’t give those away. I found myself caught up with the story. Sometimes I felt anger with his character, more often rooting for him. Good acting on his part to make it seem like a documentary of a real person.
I could never look at Lisa Bonet the same way again. A Cosby girl she was no more.
“I got this thing about chickens...”
I have not seen it but I plan on renting it. I have been following Mickey’s comeback. He also said his dogs helped pull him through the lows when almost all hope was lost.
He carried his old pup around everywhere with him. He said he wanted to spend every minute he could with the dog because he knew the old dog had very little time left.
Hard to fault a man who credits God, his faith and his dogs from saving him from the abyss. I hope Mickey’s career continues to improve, that he finds happiness and wish him the best of luck in the future.
No. What's it about?
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