Rourke to take part in 'Wrestlemania'

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- Mickey Rourke, who earned a Golden Globe and an Oscar nod for his work in "The Wrestler," says he will participate in "Wrestlemania 25" in Houston this spring.

"The boys from the WWE called me and asked me to do it," Rourke told "Access Hollywood" on the red carpet for the Screen Actors Guild Awards Sunday night. "I said, 'I want to.' I'm talking with (WWE icon) Rowdy Roddy Piper about it."

In "The Wrestler," the 56-year-old actor portrays a washed-up pro grappler who can't let go of his glory days. Rourke has, in the past, said he underwent intense training to play the role, and, in the process, developed tremendous respect for real-life wrestlers.

"The nicest thing has been the whole wrestling community embracing us," Rourke said. "The movie was about their world."

Although he did not explicitly say whether he planned to wrestle someone inside the ring at "Wrestlemania" or simply make a promotional appearance at the event, "Access Hollywood" quoted him as warning a professional wrestler by saying, "Chris Jericho, you better get in shape because I'm coming after your ass."

Rourke is slated to take part at WWE's "Wrestlemania 25" April 5.

Nominated for the SAG award for best actor, Rourke lost out to Sean Penn, the star of "Milk."