Mickey Rourke is thought to be a contender for the best actor Academy Award with his moving performance in The Wrestler. He may be jeopardizing his chance at getting a nomination however with this latest news that he’s been trashing the competition, Sean Penn, for his performance in the biopic Milk. A journalist for The Daily Beast claims to have seen a text message that Rourke sent an industry insider in which he calls Penn a homophobe who gave an average performance in the film. Rourke was also supposedly overheard dismissing Penn’s performance on another occasion. It looks like someone is a little insecure about his hard-earned chance at an Oscar nod:
After his December 23 appearance on David Letterman, Rourke told someone backstage that he was surprised that so many people seemed to think that Penn was his Oscar competition since “I’m not even sure he’ll get a nomination.”
On December 28, a Los Angeles entertainment honcho shared a text message with me that Rourke had sent him: “Look seans an old friend of mine and i didnt buy his performance at all—thought he did an average pretend acting like he was gay besides hes one of the most homophobic people i kno” [sic]
“It’s a shame,” says one veteran Hollywood lawyer. “Mickey should be looking at this as a once in a career chance for a fresh start. But dumping on Penn is not going to win him any friends. It’s not the way to get Oscar votes.”
Rourke’s publicist says “there is no Oscar feud between Mickey and Sean. They have known each other and been friends for a very long time. Mickey attended the New York premiere of Milk to support Sean and only has the greatest respect for him.” She adds that Rourke is ”completely unaware of the text.”
[From The Daily Beast via WeSmirch]
The article says that Rourke’s friends know he’s an outspoken and blunt person who doesn’t mince words. He is also supposedly friends with Penn, so maybe Penn will shrug it off if he knows that’s Rourke’s style. This could work out to Penn’s benefit in the long run. The academy isn’t likely to forget Rourke’s rude dismissal of Penn when it comes time to vote. Maybe Rourke will issue a statement saying he never sent that message or that his words were taken out of context. He’s got to be afraid of the repercussions of losing the coveted award if he’s so actively talking smack about the competition.
looking a gift horse in the mouth arent we rourke? he should STFU and thank god someone gave his washed-up scalpeled-up face a chance to be in a movie in the first place. what an idiot.
Talking smack is never good…but that doesn’t mean that Rourke’s comments are neccesarily untrue. He knows Penn pretty well.
their performances should be all that matter. Penn was excellent in Milk, Rourke was fantastic in The Wrestler
The academy should let the best man win, but then they also gave the oscar to Julia Roberts for Erin Brockovitch. It was a good movie and she did well but that was NOT an oscar worthy performance.
I don’t really like Rourke but his performance was heartwrenching.
Rourke is gross – always has been – always will be
Roarke doesn’t have many friends in Hollywood, he spent years burning bridges and acting like a complete dirt bag. I guess he’s still the same old guy underneath and this is going to be a problem for the PR firm the producers hired to campaign for him to win. Now producers will be less likely to cast him in anything decent again because he’s a big mouth ego maniac.
Back to the D list for you Mickey.
I’m sure Rourke’s “made nice” already with a basket of whatever’s hot in Hollywood right now. (Restylane? Tacos? 16-year old Asian boys? Sorry, I’m outta the loop.)
Besides, they clearly share the same stylist, who can, in a pinch, mediate a detente.
They’re both creepy.
Someone got a movie to promote?
Hahah – Good one FF!
hmm, Mickey is quite the bon vivant corpse these days.
damn, give Penn white hair and a cane and he would be the spitting image or colonel sanders!
Penn was brilliant in Milk.
snappyfish: Julia’s Oscar also left me scratching my head. As you said, she was good, but not mind-bogglingly so.
Mickey and Sean, while undeniably talented, both seem like self-important twats. Just like everyone else in Hollywood.
I’m trying to tell people, Brad Pitt deserves the Oscar. Slumdog Millionaire CAN NOT WIN!
In that case Phillip, I hope it does.
the public is unaware of the entirety of his evil deeds toward others, but hollywood insiders and recipients of those deeds are not. i agree with jinxy. the hell fires are roaring in preparation for him.
Really think god has dealt with him hes always been cocky but hes no longer cute and cocky.