Later today we'll have a full interview with Mickey Rourke, the star of The Wrestler who's making the kind of comeback that usually happens in Hollywood movies, not behind the scenes. But first we've got some stories from behind the scenes of his next project, a remake of the French film 13 Tzameti, a movie that seems to be entirely about badasses and cops. But Rourke will be adding an element that wasn't in the French film, both on and offscreen.
"I'm a new character. They even let me write it in, so I was happy with that," Rourke told us at the Wrestler junket last week. He's starring alongside the likes of Jason Statham and 50 Cent-- "Curtis Jackson, as he likes to be called"-- as well as veteran actor Ben Gazzara, who was the star of the 60s TV series Run For Your Life. Though Rourke said that when the camera goes on Gazzara is as professional as his younger co-stars, offscreen he's been known to forget who's the star, and who's in charge of craft services.
"So we're on the set and we hear 'Jason!' And it's Ben, four trailers away. And Jason, like the Transporter, runs over there. And Ben says 'I want an egg sandwich with mayo, and bacon, and milk!' Rourke didn't tell us if the Transporter actually got the sandwich for his co-star, but he did admire Gazzara's gumption. " I like the fact that he's still working, and he enjoys doing it, and he comes to life. When they say action, he's right there. The rest of the time, he's somewhere else."
Check later today for more from Mickey Rourke, including his old friendship with Bruce Springsteen and the one time he ever saw director Darren Aronofsky get nervous.
