Rourke: 'Wrestler' character hard to shake

NEW YORK, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. actor Mickey Rourke says he found it difficult to leave behind the character he plays in "The Wrestler" once the cameras stopped rolling.

"I don't stay in character all the time; I'm not one of those," Rourke told reporters in New York this week. "But there are certain parts of it, you lose pieces of yourself with each role you do, some people (do) anyway, and this one took a big chunk out of me."

Asked how he's handling all the attention and awards-season buzz his performance is generating, the actor -- who has admitted his erratic behavior has cost him jobs in the past -- replied: "It's new. I had 13 years to think about it. After 10 years, you think the party's over. You have to be realistic and think, 'I was there, I blew it and it's too (expletive) late.' Ten years is a long time to think something's going to happen and it don't happen. It's like waiting for a girlfriend to come back or something."

Rourke's film credits include "Rumblefish," "The Pope of Greenwich Village," "Barfly," "9 1/2 Weeks" and "Sin City."