Out of all The Expendables, and with very little research on my part, Mickey Rourke is probably one of the toughest of the bunch in real life. Who else would give up his 80's sex symbol status after his breakout role in the semi-erotic 9 1/2 Weeks and the under-appreciated Angel Heart? Finding no personal fulfilment in being one of Hollywood's sexiest men, he decided to return to his first love, boxing, where he would repeatedly be punched in the face. He did this just so he could get a better perspective on life and where he fit into it. He had previous experience in his youth before becoming an actor and was fairly successful in the amateur circuit, but you will find few people (much less millionaire celebrities) willing to enter the ring at the age of 39 and be paid only $250 for his first fight. He stopped early enough with his pride still intact, if not his matinee idol looks. His pro record was 6 wins (4 by knockout) and 2 draws. After those eight fights, he'd received so much punishment and he had to get reconstructive surgery, which left his once strong features a mess. Despite passing on Bruce Willis's character in Pulp Fiction, Rourke found a new demand in more villainous roles and his eventual return to mainstream consciousness as Marv in Sin City and critical acclaim as Randy 'The Ram' Robinson' in The Wrestler. Not bad for a guy who thought getting punched in the face would be a good personal career move, I'm sure you'll agree.
Been there, done that but not too well. Continually financially restrained. Now (and still) lives in Western Canada and talks some hockey and parenting on ogieoglethorpe.blogspot.ca and watching trailers on 2minutemovies.blogspot.ca.
