Co-star: Rourke cut own head for film

Published: Oct. 10, 2008 at 8:37 PM
Order reprints
Actor Mickey Rourke arrives for the New York premiere of the film "Righteous Kill" on September 10, 2008.  (UPI Photo/Ezio Petersen)
Actor Mickey Rourke arrives for the New York premiere of the film "Righteous Kill" on September 10, 2008. (UPI Photo/Ezio Petersen) | Enlarge Enlarge
NEW YORK, Oct. 10 (UPI) -- Mickey Rourke's co-star in "The Wrestler" said the Hollywood actor took his role so seriously, he actually slashed his own head for the sake of authenticity.

The New York Daily News quoted Wass Stevens as saying Rourke heard that real-life wrestlers sometimes fake injuries by cutting themselves with razor blades, then decided to do likewise for his portrayal of a has-been grappler.

"So Mickey taped a blade to his forearm, and when the time was right, sliced his forehead," Stevens told the newspaper.

"I didn't know much about wrestling at all before this. For about three months, I trained every day for two hours. And they pushed me. Before we were done filming, I had three MRIs," Rourke said at last week's screening of the movie at the New York Film Festival.

Rourke has previously starred in "Rumble Fish," "The Pope of Greenwich Village," "9 1/2 Weeks," "Barfly" and "Sin City."


© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.



Killing in Germany angers Egyptians (<1 min)
MLB: Florida 14, Arizona 7 (3 min)
Sexist jokes linked to battering women (11 min)
Al-Qaida more active in North Africa (21 min)
Woman carrying grasshoppers put off bus (26 min)
MLB: San Francisco 9, San Diego 3 (39 min)
AIG may pay more bonuses (41 min)
fark
"Resident found out it's not OK to shoot raccoons and gerbils...He told police that he and his neighbors...
Thousands homeless after China Quake. Quisp unavailable for comment
Ugly-ass okapi born at Denver Zoo. In fact, "okapi" means "ugly-ass" in Swahili
If you find a live grenade in your newly purchased vehicle, you probably shouldn't wait a month...
Family tries to lure back lost dog by spraying their own urine all over town. They then want to...
"Oh damn." Obama caught blatantly ogling some of the nicer scenery at the G8 summit, while Sarkozy...