When I recently had the opportunity to watch Seven Psychopaths, the new movie from writer/director Martin McDonagh - which is absolutely brilliant and a must-see - I spotted something in one particular scene that I thought was rather interesting. While if this had happened to me years ago I would have spent months searching around the internet for other people that spotted the same thing and try to confirm its existence. Fortunately, because of what I do for a living I was able to ask the director himself about it earlier today.
Those who have been following the film's development through production may remember a time last year when the project hit a speed bump in the casting department. It had initially been reported that Mickey Rourke had signed on to play the movie's antagonist, a dog-loving, violent gangster named Charlie Costello, but that fell apart in November when Rourke had a few choice words for McDonagh. "The director was a jerkoff," Rourke said when asked about the project. "He wanted a whole lot for nothing. He can go play with himself." Well, it seems that McDonagh has gotten some revenge with the help of a little easter egg.
During a scene in Seven Psychopaths set in a graveyard, I noticed that one of the headstones had the name "Rourke" on it, a potential reference to the spat that McDonagh had with the actor prior to the start of production. Earlier today I took part in a press day for the movie and asked the director point blank if I'd seen what I had thought I'd seen. Smiling widely, McDonagh shrugged and said jokingly, "Yeah, we just happened to be filming in a graveyard completely full of Rourkes," which had the room laughing. "You’re the first one who has spotted it. That’s your scoop!"
So when Seven Psychopaths comes to theaters on October 12th, keep your eye out for the final resting place of Mickey Rourke...or at least the one that Martin McDonagh designed for him.
