It struck me yesterday as I was reading about Mickey Rourke’s BAFTA acceptance speech for Best Actor (The Wrestler) that he really, seriously might win the Oscar two weeks from now. Before last night, I don’t think I really regarded it as a real possibility – I thought Sean Penn was one of the safest bets in all of the categories. But as everything gets turned upside-down in the home-stretch of Oscar campaigns (Meryl Streep might win!), it’s worth giving Rourke another look.

Mickey Rourke hasn’t run the best Oscar campaign. There have been rumors about Rourke with his Wrestler co-star Evan Rachel Wood, who plays his daughter in the film, and could technically be his grand-daughter in real life. Wood claims there’s nothing going on, but neither she nor Rourke have the best track records in love. The Academy does not care for Best Actor nominees to seduce their on-screen daughters. That’s a big no-no.

But on the other side, Rourke came in an underdog, and if he wins, he’ll still be an underdog. Hollywood loves an underdog, especially an actor who humbly thanks his own dogs in acceptance speeches because his dogs are the loves of his life. His nomination is also a comeback – twenty years ago he was the hottest young actor, billed as the next Robert DeNiro or the next Marlon Brando. He was even worshipped by many of his fellow Best Actor nominees, Sean Penn and Brad Pitt. A comeback plus underdog status? We might have a winner.

Mickey Rourke won another round in his comeback when he picked up a leading actor prize at Britain’s BAFTA film awards on Sunday night for his performance in “The Wrestler.”

He hasn’t entirely abandoned his bad-boy ways — he swore during his acceptance speech and puffed on a cigarette when he strolled up the red carpet outside London’s Royal Opera House before the ceremony.

But he acknowledged that the award was part of his emerging “out of the darkness.”

He has already won a Golden Globe and is a contender for an Oscar for his portrayal of a down-and-out wrestler struggling to stay in the limelight while fighting his own personal demons.

The role has strong echoes with Rourke’s own tumultuous life, which saw him go from one of Hollywood’s brightest talents to the butt of comedians’ jokes.

Rourke appeared emotional as he recounted his troubled years at a post-awards news conference.

“I lost everybody’s trust. I had some things I had to change …I didn’t handle myself like a professional,” he said, holding his BAFTA trophy in one hand and a half-drunk bottle of champagne in the other.

“After 13 years of therapy, after losing everything, I needed to put the pieces back together to be okay with the change of being accountable,” Rourke said.

“The armor that I wore much, the strength, the physical, the — my mentality became a weakness and I am okay with the change.”

From Reuters

So far Rourke has won the Golden Globe and the BAFTA award, while Sean Penn took home the SAG award and the Critics Choice. That’s about as even a split as I’ve seen since Halle Berry “stole” the Oscar from Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge) and Sissy Spacek (In the Bedroom) in 2002. Call me crazy, but I think Mickey Rourke really might pull it out in the end.

Here’s Mickey Rourke’s BAFTA acceptance speech:

Mickey Rourke is shown with Marion Cotillard at the BAFTA press room and red carpet on 2/8/09. Credit: WENN